Title: Food and wine tourism in rural areas: a critical theoretical reflection from the anthropology of food perspectives

Authors: Daniel De Jesús Contreras; F. Xavier Medina

Addresses: Centro Universitario UAEM Temascaltepec, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Carretera Toluca-Temascaltepec, km 67.5, Barrio de Santiago, C.P. 51300, Temascaltepec, Estado de México, Mexico ' UNESCO Chair on Food, Culture and Development, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla del Poblenou, 156, 08018, Barcelona, Spain

Abstract: The development of tourism in rural areas through agri-tourism, wine tourism or community- based tourism is mainly based on the conversion of heritage attributes and territorial specificities into commodities available for consumption in the tourism sector. This means a continuous process of outsourcing of rural economies and territories. From the analysis and reflection of three cases of food and wine tourism located in Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary; Penedès, Spain and Queretaro, Mexico, this paper aim to build a theoretical discussion, from anthropology of food perspectives, on the processes of productive and territorial transformation operated within the framework of the tourist valorisation of agri-food resources in rural areas, and its relevance for the activation of the local economies. We also aim to contribute to the debate on rural tourism through the discussion between rural studies and tourism studies to understand the socioeconomic changes associated with the conversion of food into tourist attractions.

Keywords: food; tourism; local; rural; anthropology of food; socioeconomic changes.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTA.2021.10047581

International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 2021 Vol.8 No.4, pp.416 - 435

Received: 30 Mar 2021
Accepted: 31 Jul 2021
Published online: 01 Jun 2022 *

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