Gastronomy Tourism as A Factor for Learning Experience

Meeting guests' gastronomic needs has become the primary strategic goal in the hotel and tourism sectors. This study examines the relationship between gastronomy tourism and tourist learning experience. The focus of the study was Arusha City, a popular gastronomy destination in Tanzania. The targeted sample was 145 tourists from different nations who visited Tanzania between December 2023 to January 2024. Questionnaires were sent to various hotels in Arusha, and 81 responses were used for data analysis. To determine the profile of respondents, data were first examined using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 22), while gastronomy tourism and tourist learning experience were examined through descriptive data. Next, the complete proposed model was tested using the SEM approach. The study's implications may offer direction to the hospitality and tourism stakeholders, such as government, nongovernment organisations, and local communities, on how to better position their strategies to cater to gastronomy travellers. The findings reveal that gastronomy tourism is a key factor for tourists to travel from one destination to another while at the same time acquiring a learning experience