Developing cheese tourism: a local-based perspective from Valle de Roncal (Navarra, Spain)
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Journal of Ethnic Foods
Open Access
Developing cheese tourism: a local-based perspective from Valle de Roncal (Navarra, Spain) Francesc Fusté-Forné
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. Keywords: Culinary heritage, Food narrative, Gastronomy, Pyrenees, Rural tourism, Sustainable development
Introduction 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]. In particular, 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 specifically 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 Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] Department of Business, Faculty of Tourism, University of Girona, Plaça Josep Ferrater i Móra, 1, 17004 Girona, Catalonia, Spain
milk and cheese production regions acknowledged as protected designation of origin (PDO) or protected geographical indication (IGP) [5]. Dairy and cheese production are critical industries in Spanish economy [6], and cheese is a cultural and natural identity factor in areas such as the Pyrenees ranges [7]. In this context, the paper investigates the state of cheese tourism development in Valle de Roncal—Roncal valley—(Navarra, Spain) with the aim to identify the opportunities and challenges derived from cheese tourism. Roncal valley counts on the oldest protected designation of origin (PDO) in Spain, awarded to Roncal cheese in 1981, acknowledging the valley as a quality environmental area with a cultural and historical tradition in cheese production. Roncal chee
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