La cultura culinaria y la experiencia turística en la fiesta de la fruta y de las flores

Abstract

The traditional gastronomy of Ambato is a living cultural manifestation that transmits identity through its flavors, techniques and local products, while the tourist experience evaluates the visitor's perception when interacting with the destination's environment. When integrated, both variables strengthen the cultural connection between tourists and the place visited, we propose to investigate the culinary culture and its impact on the tourist experience during the Fiesta de la Fruta y de las Flores. It was developed under a quantitative approach, non-experimental and crosssectional design. Two instruments were used to collect the data: for the “culinary culture”, the Food Atlas cards to record the primary products and the elaboration of typical dishes; for the “tourist experience” variable, a structured survey with a Likert scale applied to 203 visitors was used. The data were analyzed in the SPSS program and the Chi-square test, the results showed that the gastronomy of the city of Ambato generates satisfaction in tourists and awakens interest in learning more about the destination. It was concluded that the culinary culture has a positive influence on the visitor's experience and its incorporation into the event contributes to improving the competitiveness of the destination.