Abstract
This paper aims to investigate the opinions of local cheese producers with regard to the relationships between cheese and tourism in rural areas. Based on a case study approach, data was collected through semi-structured interviews with cheesemakers and visits to cheesemaking facilities in Valle de Roncal (Roncal valley), a mountain region in northern Spain. Results of this research show that cheese producers in rural areas award tourism value to cheese by appreciating its historical linkages to land and landscapes, the rural lifestyle, and a regional communication of cheese. The originality of this paper lies on the approach to a niche tourism which is drawn from the understanding of cheese as both a local product and a tourist attraction, from the perspective of local producers in peripheries. This research informs rural tourism planners in the design of (food) tourist experiences that rely on a local-based storytelling.
Highlights
Cheese tourism is a niche food tourism which in recent years has witnessed an increasing research interest by academics worldwide [1]
Food tourism refers to the visit to a destination in order to discover the idiosyncrasies of its culture and nature through its culinary heritages [3]
Cheeses labeled with the protected designation of origin (PDO) Roncal are made from “latxa” sheep milk, a local variety of sheep (Fig. 3)—grazing and feeding on Roncal landscapes
Summary
Cheese tourism is a niche food tourism which in recent years has witnessed an increasing research interest by academics worldwide [1]. Cheese landscapes are a symbol of rural identity and a factor of tourist attraction [2]. Food tourism refers to the visit to a destination in order to discover the idiosyncrasies of its culture and nature through its culinary heritages [3]. Peripheries like rural, natural, and mountain environments emerge as repositories of old traditions which are still being preserved and communicated. In focusing on cheese tourism, this type of specialist tourism reflects a relationship between cheese and tourism that acknowledges the process of awarding tourism value to a local dairy product [4]. Spain is one of the most important European and worldwide cheese regions—it counts on twenty-eight
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