Showcasing Spanish gastronomy through Iberian ham tourist routes

Abstract

Iberian ham is one of the flagships of Spanish gastronomy, deeply rooted in Spanish culture. However, its interest as a tourism resource is still scarce, so tourist routes around it have been developed. This study analyses ham tourist satisfaction within these routes using the PLS-SEM path modelling method on data obtained from a own questionnaire. The results provide insightful results about what influences ham tourist satisfaction – socioeconomic characteristics, their bond with Iberian ham, the general tourism and leisure offers, and the relation between both offers – highlighting where stakeholders should pay attention to improve the tourists' experience.