Contributions of gastronomy for developing border tourist destinations: a case study

Abstract

The tourism activity promotes socioeconomic development and conservation of the resources of a destination. In developing border areas, tourism is part of the engine of its economy being exploited through different historical, cultural and natural resources near the border. The gastronomy is among these cultural resources. The purpose of this research was threefold: first analyze the strengths of gastronomy in the Dominican-Haitian border; second, to analyze the motivations of foreign tourists who visit the most important city in this region: Dajabón; and contribute to strengthen research in the field of border tourism. The methodology is qualitative and a questionnaire was design to collect data from international tourists. The main results of this research, it is noteworthy that the main motivation of demand is marked by eating and drinking. The strengths of gastronomy in this border tourist destination is related with good prices, customer service and hospitality, the quality of the dishes and the friendly atmosphere of their establishments. As weakness, the lack of innovation and new flavors in the dishes and, moreover, the facilities are highlighted.