The Proximity of Food: Gastronomy Tourism and Local Markets in Costa Daurada (Catalonia, Spain)

Food tourism is a tourist typology where visitors and tourists explore the culture and nature of a place through its gastronomy and culinary heritage. Visits to food markets are among the different possibilities offered by culinary tourism practices. This article analyzes the attractiveness of local food markets from the study of the proximity of their products' offer. In order to achieve this, three different markets in Costa Daurada, south-eastern Catalonia, are studied. A total of 54 interviews are carried out, including all the food selling points in the sites' markets. Thus, a total of 938 food products are collected. Data analysis shows that a third of the products have a local origin. From the study of the different types of foods it is possible to determine the potential offered by local markets as spaces to develop food tourism practices.