Gastronomy and Tourism
ATLAS Special Interest Group
Gastronomy and Tourism
The coordinator of this SIG is:
Silvia Aulet – University of Girona, Girona, Spain
The Gastronomy and Tourism Research Group was established at the expert meeting held in Portugal in March 2001, which was attended by 10 ATLAS members who made presentations to the International Gastronomy Conference organised by the Regional Tourist Board for the Alto Minho.
If you want to contact the SIG coordinator, please fill in the form HERE
If you want to join this SIG, please fill in the form HERE
ATLAS SIG Soundbite 2 – Gastronomy Tourism
In the ATLAS SIG Soundbites series the different ATLAS Special Interest Groups tell about their SIG.
Annual review of activities – 2026
Supported by the Chair of Gastronomy, Culture and Tourism of Calonge Sant Antoni of the University of Girona.
The activities of this SIG over the last year have been the following:
Annual meeting
The annual meeting of the SIG was held in February 2026 in Olot (La Garrotxa, Catalonia, Spain), a destination renowned for its volcanic cuisine. As announced during the 2025 ATLAS meeting in Sintra, the event reinforced the group’s core philosophy of valuing the diversity of gastronomic cultures, while consolidating its role as a platform for the exchange of research, practices and innovative approaches to gastronomy and tourism.
The meeting was organised around the theme “We are what we eat, we travel as we eat: identities, territories and experiences on the plate”. Discussions highlighted the strong interconnections between food, identity and tourism experiences. Contributions reflected the multidisciplinary nature of gastronomy tourism, addressing topics such as digital transformation and value creation for local products, innovation linked to heritage and territory, and the role of gastronomy tourism in fostering sustainability, resilience, ethics, education, and health and wellbeing.
The Olot meeting brought together researchers from 12 countries, including participants from outside Europe such as South Africa and Mexico. This international diversity enriched the exchange of perspectives and strengthened collaboration within the network. In addition to academic sessions, the programme included technical visits and experiential activities that enhanced participants’ engagement with local culture.
Publication
A Special Issue proposal has been successfully secured with the Journal of Foodservice Business Research. A call for papers has been launched among participants of the Olot meeting, aiming to disseminate research on gastronomy and tourism and to further strengthen collaboration within the SIG.
Apart from the Special Issue proposal, an internal discussion among the group members took place to evaluate the possibility of publishing a book.
Other activities
The SIG continues to actively promote relevant events, publications and opportunities through its mailing list and communication channels, contributing to the visibility and engagement of its members and the wider research community.
Preparations are underway for the next annual meeting of the SIG, planned for February 2027 in Cyprus, which will continue to build on the themes of collaboration, innovation and sustainable development in gastronomy tourism.