Stated and Revealed Preferences on Gastronomic Tourism in Santiago de Compostela

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to analyse why certain restaurants and tapas are preferred by tourists in Santiago de Compostela, what are the original preferences of restaurants and tapas for these tourists, what are the factors that influence a tourist’s preference and choice, and the differences in preferences of tourists from different groupings. As tapas are authentic to Spanish culture, and also an attraction of gastronomic tourism of Spain, the research is focused mainly on tapa preferences of tourists and on restaurants that provide them. The specific objectives of the thesis are as follows: first, to provide a model of the three entities involved in the gastronomic domain, identifying the relationship between the entities and their attributes; second, to find out tourist preferences for restaurants that offer tapas; third, to identify tourist tapa preferences; and fourth, to find out external attributes that influence tourist preference, choice, and satisfaction.