Culinary Tourism Case Study

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Introduction
Culinary tourism gives tourists experiences that can make them get a feel of what the place can offer. It is believed that food connects with the culture that the place has and it relates tourists to the heritage of the place they visit (Culinary Tourism Alliance, 2016).

Food tourism is not limited to gourmet food. It is about what is unique, authentic, and memorable about the delicious stories a destination has to tell.” (Culinary Tourism Alliance, 2016, para. 3) The Restaurant Botin, being more than a 200 hundred year old restaurant passed down from generation to generation, is found in the city capital Madrid. The inn turned family restaurant serves up authentic Spanish cuisine that dates back in 1725. The restaurant …show more content…

The main specialty of the restaurant is the roasted suckling pig and the roasted lamb (Gary, 2010).

Gunn (1997) stated that “If a nucleus is a fragile or rare resource, extreme care must be taken in planning for visitors, especially for large numbers” (p.55). In the case of Restaurante Botin, reservations are a must since it is full house almost every day (Metropolitan Vision I, 2015).

Tourists flocking the restaurant are caused not only by the historical value of the place but also because of several iconic people dining in the place. As Gunn (1997) said, an attraction has a sense of magnetism to the people. It is what brings people together and that in designing or creating a place as a tourist attraction, considering the interests of the visitor are a major factor to its success.

Restaurante Botin is also featured in some books which makes it a literature hub. According to Botin (n.d.a) some of the most popular books by Spanish authors Benito Perez Galdos, Indalecio Prieto and Ramon Perez de la Serna had their novels set in the restaurant. The restaurant was also popular with American authors Jon Dos Passos, Scott Fitzgerald and Graham …show more content…

You’ll find prettier presentation — of tender steak and delicate fish stews — at tiny La Tasquita de Enfrente” (n.p)

MacCannell (1999) noted that markers in his model may come in different forms, it could be physical like guide books or even electronic one like informational tablets. Restaurante Botin has its own unique television channel in which they feature the restaurant itself, their different dishes and even the different literature pieces in which the restaurant was mentioned (Botin, n.db).

The popularity of Restaurante Botin gave them a chance to be one of the most sought after in Madrid Spain that most travelogues about Madrid would feature them and most tour groups would not miss going into the restaurant.

Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that for Restaurante Botin, both Gunn (1997) and MacCannells’s (1999) model of a tourist attraction has its own strength in managing the restaurant. Both models play an important role in maintaining the reputation of Retaurante

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