Gastronomic tourism or culinary tourism is experiencing the food of the country, region or area, and is now considered a vital component of the tourism experience.
Gastronomic tourism or culinary tourism is experiencing the food of the country, region or area, and is now considered a vital component of the tourism experience. In gastronomic tourism, food and beverages are the main factors that motivate a person to travel to a particular destination. Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery" in importance to tourists [3]. In Thailand, experiencing food and shopping Thai local products tend to be largely a domestic tourism activity for both Thai and foreign tourists [4]. A domestic survey of leisure travelers in Thailand found that almost 50% engaged in culinary related activities [5]. According to the TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) tourism journal (4/2011 - 1/2012), the street food in Bangkok has won the first prize of top ten cities for street food award in 2012 [6]. Thus, TAT predicts that Thai gastronomic tourism will grow rapidly in the coming years.