The role of local gastronomy in marketing and sustaining a destination: A case of Zanzibar

The main objective of this study was to explore the role of local gastronomy in marketing and sustaining a destination. The changes that appeared in the tourism sector moving from mass tourism to niche market led to the development of different characteristics of tourists and new forms of alternative tourism. Gastronomic tourism become an indispensable element for the current trends in the world of tourism which results from great competition among destinations in the world, every tourist destination takes a high effort on utilizing gastronomic products and services as a way of marketing and sustaining a tourism destination. Apart from its great potential in the tourism sector, it seemed to be neglected by most of the community as a tourism destination. From this perspective seemed It is necessary to research it in Zanzibar as recently had an official declaration on sustainable tourism while undergoing in marketing. This study selected two administrative regions to represent the whole destination, these are the southern and northern parts of Unguja islands. Regions were selected regarding gastronomic movements and diverse tourism establishments. The study was conducted through qualitative design and an interview was applied as a data collection method, it was completed by a sample of 20 interviewees. Data were analysed thematically. The findings of this research revealed local gastronomies are potential resources that will create competitive advantages for Zanzibar in the area of destination marketing. On the side of sustainability, there are indigenous people gaining benefits due to the existence of gastronomy, the data also exposed that Zanzibar's local gastronomic elements are in great danger to lose their reputation and image since existing of problems including domination of foreign food in the tourism sector, hygiene, and foodborne disease. Key words: Local gastronomy, sustainable tourism, destination marketing and Zanzibar