Gastronomy Tourism and Sustainability in 2025: Inspiring Best Practices from International Trends

In recent years, Greece has embarked on a comprehensive development in the field of gastronomy tourism, with the creation of the first national-level gastronomy and wine destination management organisation (DMO) being its most significant milestone. This organisation has redefined the country’s approach to gastronomy tourism management: replacing promotion-focused thinking with genuine destination stewardship, which integrates areas, service providers, and communities through sustainability-focused management. The DMO develops thematic routes — centred around olive oil, wine, honey, or cheese culture — while aggregating and organising offerings with quality standards on digital platforms. In less than two years, it has integrated over 400 businesses into its network, creating a national ecosystem that strengthens rurality, local producers, quality, and sustainability.

In Telangana, India, a completely new approach has emerged: one of the world’s first startup accelerators specialising in gastronomy tourism. The model redefines gastronomic experiences not merely as tourism products but as innovation infrastructure. Each year, the programme selects young businesses capable of creating new, sustainable, digital, or cultural value. It provides them with mentoring support, investor connections, and research backing.

Part of the initiative is the Culinary & Cultural Passport, a digital, gamified system for visitors. It guides guests through thematic routes that connect local flavours, artisanal products, stories, and community spaces. Visitors can collect points, unlock activities, and gradually build a deeper connection with the local culture. The model is entirely based on creating a sustainable visitor experience and retaining value locally.

New Zealand employs one of the most forward-thinking sustainability practices in tourism. The country has taken a radical step that is unique in the world: granting legal personhood to the Whanganui River, Mount Taranaki, and the Te Urewera forest. This means these natural environments are not just protected areas but equal ‘living partners’ whose interests can be legally upheld.

The central element of tourism management is the Tiaki Promise, which also expects visitors to ‘care for New Zealand’ — respect communities, preserve ecosystems, and leave a positive impact. Businesses can join by meeting comparable sustainability standards. New Zealand’s example highlights that gastronomy tourism cannot be separated from nature: the connection between landscape, soil, and food can only be truly understood in this way.

In Norway, the Secret Supper Society was created by combining gastronomy with the adventure of nature. The concept is that guests receive the GPS coordinates of the dinner location only on the day of the event, just a few hours before the meal. The venue could be a cave, an abandoned coastal cabin, or a small cove surrounded by basalt columns.

The menu is always based on ingredients gathered from the surrounding environment that day. The dinner becomes a nature-connected adventure, a communal ritual, and a high-end gastronomic experience all at once. The model demonstrates that surprise, storytelling, and interaction are now as integral to gastronomy tourism as the food itself.

In Italy, a new wave of chef’s table experiences has emerged in recent years, focusing on personal connection and behind-the-scenes insights into gastronomy. Piazza Duomo Alba, for instance, has created an elegant, secluded ‘immersive room’ where guests receive dishes and stories directly from the chef. Milan’s Ristorante Berton offers an intimate experience in a semi-enclosed, softly lit ‘Carrozza’ room. Meanwhile, Pepe in Grani in Campania welcomes guests in a small room with its own oven, where they can hear the stories of the pizzas directly from Franco Pepe himself.

These experiences redefine gastronomic luxury: fewer guests, greater attention, and personal narratives become the true markers of value.

In the USA, gastronomic tourism is increasingly built around communal rituals. Thematic groups and community spaces are emerging where food becomes both cultural identity and social connection. The Indigenous Food Lab passes on knowledge of Native American cuisine through community cooking and educational programmes. In New York, Babetown’s pop-up dinners create inclusive communities, specifically for marginalised groups.

These formats go beyond the classic ‘restaurant experience’: through participation, communal cooking, and storytelling, gastronomy becomes a social network. This model is highly inspiring for destinations aiming to base sustainable tourism on community foundations.

The Ogliastra–Barbagia region of Sardinia is the world’s first identified Blue Zone, where exceptionally high life expectancy is attributed to the local diet, community life, physical activity, and nature-connected daily routines. The region has transformed this heritage into a unique tourism product.

The ‘Percorso dei Centenari’ is a route spanning villages and landscapes, connecting stops, community spaces, gardens, and springs — all places symbolic of longevity. Local providers offer small-group ‘longevity tours’ featuring cooking classes, herb gathering, communal meals, and traditional music events. The model combines health tourism, cultural heritage, and rural sustainability.