8 - 41000 GEOGRAPHY AND TOURISM, Vol. 8, No. 1 (2020), 91-104, Semi-Annual Journal eISSN 2449-9706, ISSN 2353-4524, DOI: 10.36122/GAT20200808 © Copyright by Kazimierz Wielki University Press, 2020. All Rights Reserved. http://geography.and.tourism.ukw.edu.pl Paulina Śmigelska1a, Przemysław Charzyński1b 1 Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Spatial Management ORCID: a https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1285-5626; b https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1467-9870 Corresponding author: Paulina Śmigelska, email: [email protected] North Macedonia as Food Tourism Destination – Trends and Perspectives Abstract: In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the Balkan countries among tourists. These trends owe their popularity to, among others, favorable climatic conditions, interesting tourist attraction and folklore. One of the countries that attracts a large number of tourists is North Macedonia. The local population is increasingly taking actions to attract the attention of foreigners, also by means of promoting national cuisine. Macedonian dishes perfectly reflect the spirit of the Balkans and fresh fruit and vegetables testify to the high quality of food products. Data pertaining to the popularity of Macedonian cuisine among tourists and locals were collected using a survey. The group of respondents includes 130 visi- tors and 31 residents of North Macedonia. The results of the study showed that the local dishes are still identified with the entire Balkan area and their origin is often confused. Traditional Macedonian dishes, however, thanks to good promotion and advertising have the potential to become a strong factor attracting foreign tourists. Keywords: North Macedonia, food tourism, traditional dishes, culinary festivals 1. Introduction Culinary tourism is currently one of the most all their senses. Culinary tourism proves to be dynamically developing phenomena in tour- an ideal solution for people who look for new ism. It is practiced in both rural and urban experiences. With this form of leisure they areas. Culinary tourists travel to different places can enjoy new flavors in beautiful natural cir- all around the world, willingly go to the posh cumstances. Perfect example of that is Ohrid – restaurants of famous chefs, visit market with a city in North Macedonia, where tourists can local products and look for small restaurants become acquainted with Balkan cuisine on the frequented by the locals, who make these places shores of Lake Ohrid. There is also a consider- seem more reliable and authentic. Rural areas, able advantage in that trips inspired by culinary on the other hand, are usually visited because delights accommodate all age groups of tourists of traditional agricultural products that are and it is possible to enjoy in culinary speciali- grown there or out of the urge to learn about ties regardless of the time of year. local culinary traditions (Durydiwka, 2013). Food and drink events and festivals, orga- It is also associated with learning about other nized not only in large cities but also in rural cultures and making stronger connection with areas, demonstrate that culinary art is growing local inhabitants. in popularity. Their number increases every In recent years there has been steady devel- year. Many examples of this may be provided, opment in relation to tourists’ interest in the and one of the most representative events of growing range of cultural products. Admiring this kind is surely the vine festival – Marti- beautiful landscapes or visiting museums is novanje in Slovenia. This event is celebrated more and more often enriched with additional, on the 11th of November across the country. more sophisticated and tailored leisure activi- Participants have the opportunity to taste tra- ties. Travelers want to explore new places with ditional and authentic wines on the streets, 92 Paulina Śmigelska, Przemysław Charzyński squares and markets. Saint Martin’s Day is country offers a large number of agritourism most celebrated in local wineries (Vine festival and ecological farms. There are also over 3,000 – Martinovanje in Slovenia: www.slovenia.info/ objects in which tourists not only have the sl/zgodbe/martinovanje-veselje-ob-novi-le- opportunity to taste and buy traditional prod- tini-vina). Another example is Belgrade Beer ucts, but also to participate in their preparation. Fest in Serbia. The festival features numerous In addition, the Ministry of Economic Devel- concerts paired with beer tasting, where people opment and Technology in Slovenia under- may try both local and foreign beverages (Bel- takes many activities to promote villages and grade Beer Fest: http://www.belgradebeerfest. local cuisine. New scenarios for tourist events com/). Every year, the Greek island of Sifnos are being prepared, which may help strengthen hosts a festival dedicated to traditional Greek the recognition of Slovenian cuisine (Borowska cuisine – the Festival of Cycladic Gastronomy and Gadzińska, 2014). In recent years, Serbia ‘Nikolaos Tselementes’. This event is organized has also taken steps to promote its rural heri- in honor of Nikolaos Tselementes, a Greek chef tage and local food products. Its rural areas are and author of cookbooks. It takes place at the characterized by beautiful natural landscapes beginning of September and allows the visitors and traditional hospitality of the inhabitants. to taste local delicacies and attend a variety of To encourage tourists to visit those places, the concerts (Sympossio: https://www.sympossio. rural population organizes numerous festivals gr/cycladic-gastronomy-festival/). During culi- and events that give them the opportunity to nary festivals, participants may try new dishes, present their products to visitors (Cvijanović familiarize themselves with the process of their et al., 2017). Greece is another country that preparation, and often have the opportunity to promotes its traditional cuisine. The local pop- purchase local products. This is a good oppor- ulation and local authorities are aware of the tunity to promote and develop the brand of importance of branding local products and both the municipality and the region. making them available to tourists. It is worth Culinary tourism, particularly when paired noting, however, that in the past this country with agritourism, can be highlighted as import- was in a better political situation than today’s ant means of improving and developing the Balkan states. Greece did not experience sociocultural and economic status of rural socialist economy, which should be considered communities. Agricultural revenues are not the main factor that enabled the country to high, because rural communities have been develop modern tourist services much earlier. facing underpriced commodities and economic An additional factor that had a positive impact decline, making it difficult to earn money on on tourism in Greece was the accession to the farming. Agritourism allows rural residents to European Union in 1981. At that point tourism sell goods independently, which translates into became one of the most important branches of much higher profits. „Farm-based tourism, as the economy (Rettinger and Rozmus, 2010). an important element of rural restructuring Food related tourism in Albania has the poten- and revitalization, may play a crucial role when tial to offer quality and value experience for small farms have to adjust to depressed agricul- visitors, although this important item has been tural prices and increased competition” (Hall, thus far ignored as a tourism attraction (Brokaj, 2004). Agritourism has many economic, social 2014). and ecological positive outcomes, including The aim of the paper is to determine whether sustainable agriculture, improvement of farm- Macedonian cuisine may prove to be one of the ers’ quality of life and giving direct access to factors attracting tourists to the North Mace- markets (Kim et al., 2019). donia. In addition, the paper attempts to draw Today’s culinary tourists are looking for a socio-demographic profile of a food tourist authenticity and high-quality products. More- visiting this country. It was also surveyed how over, they are willing to pay extra for tradition- Macedonian cuisine is perceived by visitors and ally-made items. In the post-Yugoslavia area, by the local population. Slovenia can serve as a good example of a coun- The article sets out to present basic informa- try that puts great efforts in the promotion of tion pertaining to North Macedonia. Particular tourism in rural areas. Despite its small size, the attention is paid to the climate and agriculture North Macedonia as Food Tourism Destination – Trends and Perspectives 93 of the country, because these factors largely authors focus on the characteristics of Mace- determine the high quality of Macedonian donian dishes and culinary festivals. The paper food. In the subsequent part of the work, the ends with an analysis of survey results. 2. Research methods The authors conducted surveys in order to written by the respondents in North Macedonia obtain answers to questions pertaining to the between May and September 2019, while the profile of food tourists visiting Ohrid in North rest of survey responses were collected online. Macedonia and the popularity of Macedonian Questions that appeared in the questionnaire, cuisine among tourists. The total number of apart from those involving basic socio-demo- foreign tourists who took part in this study was graphic information, concerned the knowledge