Eating, drinking and travelling for fun. Backward to ‘Tourism and Gastronomy’ and forward to the Covidocene

Abstract

Tourism and Gastronomy (T&G) was published in 2002. Even today, this book is an indispensable reference for researchers from different disciplinary perspectives who study how food and beverage are linked to leisure mobility. At that time, the contributors witnessed a major shift in consumer behaviour, which would soon turn the act of eating and drinking into a first-order driver of this sector of activity. The objective of the editors was to map the evolution of this new trend and predict the future of gastronomy and culinary heritage in tourism. This paper will revisit T&G to fully understand how, in only twenty years, what was before just a ‘non-optional’ part of the package became a prosperous niche, and later a primary component of recreational travels. The ‘throw-back’ approach adopted here will enable us to reflect on how the COVID-19 crisis impacts holidaymakers’ choices, which could help in the design of more efficient recovery plans.