International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)

Volume 5 Issue 6, September-October 2021 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470

Potential of Gastronomy as a Tool for

Growth of Tourism in Gujarat (India)
Ruchika Agarwal1, Dr. Sarjoo Patel2
1
PhD Student, 2Assistant Professor (Stage-III),
1,2
Department of Family and Community Resource Management, Faculty of Family and
Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Pratapgunj, Vadodara, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT How to cite this paper: Ruchika

Many types of tourism have evolved over the years that are classified Agarwal | Dr. Sarjoo Patel "Potential of
based on the purpose for which a trip is undertaken by the tourist. Gastronomy as a Tool for Growth of
These emerging types of tourism such as educational tourism, Tourism in Gujarat (India)" Published in
International
medical tourism, wildlife tourism, adventure tourism etc. to name a
Journal of Trend in
few attract varied sectors of the tourist population. Among these
Scientific Research
another unique tourism sector that is fast emerging is Gastronomy and Development
Tourism. The term Gastronomy is often used to connote the art of (ijtsrd), ISSN:
cooking and eating fine food but some people also relate the concept 2456-6470,
of food to the local culture as well when talking about gastronomy. Volume-5 | Issue-6, IJTSRD47543
Tourists today not only want the luxury of five star hotels but also October 2021,
want to experience the local culture. And food forms an important pp.954-956, URL:
part of a destination's culture. India is home to many cultures and has www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd47543.pdf
varied terrains with environmental conditions that change in a matter
of a few kilometres. This factor has contributed significantly to the Copyright © 2021 by author (s) and
development of area specific gastronomy where techniques as well as International Journal of Trend in
Scientific Research and Development
raw materials used to prepare dishes are unique in their own ways.
Journal. This is an
The state of Gujarat is famous for its vibrant and colourful culture Open Access article
that is a major attraction for tourists all over the globe. Gastronomy distributed under the
in this state has a long history that has evolved over the years. It is terms of the Creative Commons
famous for its quick snacks and distinct sweet flavours. The existence Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)
of large rural and tribal areas in the state also has their own (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
gastronomy tale that interests many. Tourists today are on the lookout
for traditional cuisines and prefer visiting locals, rather than going to
fancy restaurants to taste them. In Gujarat every festival and season is
celebrated with great pomp and show and gastronomy is also an
essential part of it. This paper studies and analyses how gastronomy
experiences can be used as an effective tool for promoting tourism in
Gujarat. The ancient traditions and customs around gastronomy can
be used as a focus factor and promotional strategies can be developed
in order to get more tourist inflow from the domestic as well as
international market.
KEYWORDS: Gastronomy, Tourism, Gujarat, Cuisine, Food, Culture

INTRODUCTION
Gujarat is home to the famous diamond industry as Food has always been an essential part of any travel
well as the textile industry. It also houses beautiful but it has not really been a primary reason to visit a
temples that have been an attraction for tourists since particular destination. With the evolution of
ages. Therefore this state has mostly attracted gastronomy tourism and destinations promoting their
business as well as spiritual travellers. Even though cuisines as a marketing tool to attract travellers, food
cuisines of the state are unique, the ban on alcohol has slowly started becoming the primary travel
has been one of the major reasons for not being able motive. Countries like Thailand, France, Spain,
to attract international as well as many domestic Mexico, Italy and even India are famous for their
tourists for leisure and recreational activities. food and culture that attract tourists. Gujarat in

@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD47543 | Volume – 5 | Issue – 6 | Sep-Oct 2021 Page 954
 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
particular has a lot of potential but needs to make Tikkanen in 2007 related food tourism with Maslow’s
constructive efforts towards establishing itself as a Need Hierarchy Theory and also suggested four
gastronomy tourism destination. Highlighting the distinct manners in which food and tourism are
food of a particular region not only attracts tourists related to each other. Firstly food being an attraction
and increases the revenue earned through tourism but in itself, secondly as a component of the tourist
it also helps in the revival of long lost traditional and product, thirdly as a popular item and fourthly as a
authentic recipes. This also significantly helps rural component of the local culture.
tourism and in a state like Gujarat that has a large
Another study revealed that food has a great potential
rural population, this type of tourism is extremely to develop a tourist destination and thus efforts in
beneficial.
marketing should be made in this direction to attract
Definition of Gastronomy Tourism: The UNWTO maximum tourists (Okumus, et al. 2007). Du Rand
(United Nations World Tourism Organisation) and Health in 2006 confirmed in their study that food
defines gastronomy tourism as a type of tourism in tourism has a big role to play in the region's
which the travellers’ main experience is related with agricultural and economic development. Cook S
food and its related activities while on their travel. (2020) in an article stated that in the West knowledge
Gastronomy tourism is also known as food tourism about Indian cuisines is restricted to some signature
and culinary tourism. dishes and some regional cuisines only. Thus steps
must be taken to break stereotypes about Indian
Objectives:
cuisines and popularize them.
To understand the popularity of gastronomy
tourism Cuisines of Gujarat
To understand the history of gastronomy and its Gujarat is famous for its vegetarian delicacies and is
relation to culture in Gujarat closely related to its rich cultural heritage. The
To suggest ways in which gastronomy can be different seasons and festivals of Gujarat are all
used to increase tourism in Gujarat linked to various cuisines that specifically represent
that particular occasion. For example, the uttarayan or
Review of Literature
the kite festival that falls in January every year is
Food and Tourism
Hall et al in 2003 defined a food tourist as someone incomplete without chikki, mamraladu, kachariyu
who travelled with the primary objective to taste local etc., scientifically also these food items help the body
dishes and thus his interest mostly lied in visiting to keep warm during the winter season. Another
food festivals, visiting local restaurants or visits to favorite dish during the winters is undhiyu and ponk.
food producers. These dishes are made of vegetables and grains that
are specifically grown during winters and are very
According to a study conducted in 2009 by good for a healthy body. The very famous
Henderson food and tourism go together and are gujaratithali is also something that tourists look
closely linked with each other. He also mentioned forward to. Although platters are available for many
that food has a great role to play in the growth and other regions like punjab, rajasthanetc but the
development of a region that can be beneficial to the popularity of Gujarati thali is unbeatable. A traveler's
macro economy of the place. visit to Gujarat is incomplete if they haven’t gorged
Tourists who are interested in studying different on this wonderful assortment of gujarati dishes.
cultures are attracted to food tourism as food is an Cuisines of Gujarat can be very well classified based
important part of any culture and it helps the tourist to upon the region that they originate from. Uniquely
differentiate between their own culture and that of the different cuisines have evolved from the north and
place they are visiting (Hegarty, J. A., O’Mahoney, south of Gujarat as well as from the Kathiawad and
G. B. 2001). Kutch regions. Northern Gujarat cuisines are famous
An interesting study was done by Kivela et al in 2005 for its snacks also called farsan like khaman, khandvi
in Hong Kong to find out the connection between and dhokla while the south and kathiawad regions
food and tourism and the results revealed that there is have food that have a liberal use of chillies in them.
indeed a strong connection between the two. Food Undhiyu and ponk are famous from the south while
does form an integral part of the overall tourism dhebras belong to kathiawad. The kutchi food is
experience and tourists also come back to resample however simpler with kadhi, khichdi, rotlo, guvaar nu
and savour the unique cuisines. This not only shaak as the staple dishes (tourmyindia.com).
enhances the tourists experience but also help the The names of the cuisines that one gets to hear when
traditional artisans and also industrial level food in Gujarat are so unique and different that they are not
production and processing (S Boyne et al 2003) found anywhere else. Also the raw material used

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 International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
along with the method and technique of cooking are but also international tourists, local food tasting
specific to the particular region. sessions can be organised similar to the wine
tasting sessions in many parts of the world.
Methodology
The present paper follows a case study approach with Food hygiene and safety standards to be more
the state of Gujarat as the unit of study. The rigidly implemented and followed at every level
qualitative analysis is based on the secondary data in order to ensure pleasant food experience for the
gathered from various sources and literature review. It travelers.
also takes into consideration various articles and If productive efforts are made in these lines then
research papers published at different levels. The Gujarat will soon attract more tourists who are
speciality cuisines of Gujarat are studied and interested in the rich gastronomy and culture of the
strategies are suggested to make this region famous region.
for gastronomy tourism.
References:
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