Stakeholders’ Collaboration in the Development of an Authentic Gastronomic Offering in Rural Areas: Example of the Ravni Kotari Region in Croatia

Abstract

The development of food tourism, with an emphasis on authentic gastronomy, is important to ensure the long-term sustainability of tourism, especially in rural areas. Success in developing this type of tourism is largely dependent on strong stakeholder commitment. This study aims to understand the dynamics of the mechanisms of collaboration between different categories of stakeholders in the local development of authentic gastronomy for the purpose of tourism development, using a single rural region as an example. The case study method was selected to obtain a better understanding of the complexity of relationships among rural tourism stakeholders and the Ravni Kotari region in Croatia, as a rural area in the hinterland, with significant gastronomy tourism potential. Content analysis of available secondary sources was conducted to reveal cooperation patterns among different categories of stakeholders that are relevant for authentic gastronomy, together with onsite semi-structured interviews of representatives of different stakeholder categories. The research findings revealed a significant level of cooperation among public sector stakeholders, especially in terms of cooperating on projects that promote local gastronomy. However, the lack of horizontal cooperation among stakeholders from the private sector is also noted as a big challenge. This research provides valuable insights into the roles’ relationships and the collaboration mechanisms among key local stakeholders in the provison authentic gastronomy tourism.