Demand for mycotourism products in rural forest areas: a choice model approach

ABSTRACT

Mycotourism is an innovative tourist product linked to rural tourism and offered as an alternative to the use of a forest resource. Here we aim to identify which tourism products have a connection to mycotourism and which mycological activities most attract people to the product. Results identify wine tourism, religious tourism, and spa tourism as the tourism products most closely connected to mycotourism. Visiting truffle festivals, mycological parks and hiring a mycological guide are the most frequent activities. Practical applications of the study include marketing that can be used by public policymakers and private companies alike to promote the area.

KEYWORDS:

• Mycotourism
• innovation
• rural tourism
• marketing
• mushrooms
• tourist behaviour

Acknowledgements

The Regional Government of Castilla y Leon – Regional Ministry of Culture and Tourism Fundación Cesefor

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Joaquin Latorre

Joaquin Latorre is Graduated in Tourism studies. He is researcher in marketing and innovation at the European Mycological Institute (EMI). He has research interests in mycotourism, mycological resources, non-wood forest products (NWFP) and rural development.

Tiziana de-Magistris

Tiziana de-Magistris, Senior researcher, Agro-Food Economic Unit, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA) Zaragoza, Spain. Her research interests include consumer behaviour, agricultural demand and econometrics and statistical analysis in agricultural economics.

Pablo de Frutos

Pablo de Frutos is Senior Lector in the department of applied economy, University of Valladolid (Soriás Dukes campus), Spain. He has research interests in natural resource valuation and socio-economic aspects of wild edible mushrooms picking.

Blanca García

Blanca Garcia is Senior Lector in the department of business organization, marketing and market research, University of Valladolid (Soriás Dukes Campus), Spain. She has research interests in tourism marketing.

Fernando Martinez-Peña

Fernando Martinez-Peña, Senior researcher on characterization and valorization on forest resources at Agri-Food Research and Technology Centre of Aragon (CITA) and Director of the European Mycological Institute. His research interests are forest mycology, fungal ecology, mycosilviculture, management and valorization of mycological resources.