Typology and consumer experience of gastronomic tourists using the case of gastronomic destinations in Russia

Gastronomic tourism is a trend of the modern tourism industry. Tourists, travel organizers and authorities responsible for the tourist destinations development pay great attention to it. However, along with the growing interest to gastrotourism, the number of tourists dissatisfied with its products is also growing, and this fact in general leads to a decrease in the attractiveness of destinations. Therefore, this article is aimed at studying the consumer experience of gastronomic tourists. The authors, through interviews, study the consumer experience of tourists who took part in various forms of gastronomic tourism. The authors group received answers into categories and identify the preferences of gastronomic tourists, their motivation, as well as negative aspects in the organizing different forms of gastronomic tourism. The authors also study reviews of tourists about visiting gastro-tourist sites in Russia on the TripAdvisor platform. Based on the study of consumer experience, the authors propose a model of the ideal gastronomic experience. The article provides a typology of gastronomic tourists using their motives, needs and requests. The given model can be used in the segmentation of the tourist market and in determining the target audience when planning and organizing various forms of gastronomic tourism.