IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL GASTRONOMY FOR DOMESTIC TOURISTS IN THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA

The paper presents research on the importance of local food in the Republic of Croatia's gastronomic offer. The starting point of the research is the hypothesis that the combination of food and other tourist attractions in the current time has a strong tourist attraction because the offer of local traditional food products and culinary traditions adds a new dimension of value to the image of tourist destinations. Marketing entities pose specific challenges given the numerous security health threats. It also analyzes how tourists' demographic characteristics determine the ways of tourists' perception and behavior in the choice and consumption of traditional local food products and dishes.