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

Annual review of activities 2022

The ATLAS Gastronomy and Tourism Research Group returned to normal activities after COVID-19 with the organisation of what has become its annual meeting. Not only due of the pandemic, but also for reasons of the format of the event that allows wider discussion within the entire group, no more than 30 abstracts by experts in the field are accepted. The program follows a set structure with the welcoming of the experts on a Wednesday, followed by presentations on Thursday morning and a walking tour of the area during the afternoon and presentations on Friday morning and afternoon. The Meeting closes with a discussion on publication plans and future meetings.

After each session of presentations, discussion takes place and contributions are made for the final study/paper for publication. Master and Doctorate students from the host university are encouraged to participate in the sessions, as well as to present their research work in the area of Gastronomy and Tourism.

Having been postponed in 2021, the Meeting finally took place in 2022 and was hosted by the University of Girona. The theme proposed a reflection on what changes concerning food and tourism have taken place due to the pandemic. Which of these changes are transient? Which of these changes will remain? In this unstable context, research on the changes and the challenges is more necessary than ever. Accordingly, the main issue was the rethinking of the business model in the food tourism sector, food festivals and events, agritourism etc. through 5 different perspectives: management, marketing, hygiene, social commitment and cultural heritage.