FOOD TOURISM IN THE CZECH REGIONS - TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Tourism is a significant part of the contemporary experience economy, in which food plays an important role. Food is a fundamental part of all cultures, and one of elements of creativity in everyday life that is engaging for many visitors. Food is also an element that is easily linked to the tourism industry and contributes to the economic development and improvement of national image. This provides new opportunities for tourism destination and at the same time creates new challenges. The overarching aim of the paper is to introduce and evaluate regional and local food and beverages as a viable factor for future tourism development in the Czech regions. Methods which were used for completing the paper included the literature review, content analysis of documents and in-depth interviews.