Culture through the lense of gastronomy – Gastronomy-related programmes of the Veszprém Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture

Abstract

The range of tourist experiences linked to gastronomy is closely linked to the cultural values of a destination. As good practice, the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture programme highlights that the presentation of gastronomic values can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, from free events attracting a great volume of visitors, to limited-capacity cooking classes and restaurants offering local products, all of this is in line with gastronomic and tourism trends. The data about visitor flows show the justification for this broad spectrum, which, in addition to showcasing local values, also give visitors to Veszprém and Lake Balaton 2023 a glimpse of gastronomy from other cultures. The focus of this study is to evaluate the gastronomic offer and to present the characteristics of the demand side based on the monitoring data.