Over-gastronomy: conceptualisation of the problems in gastronomy

Gastronomy tourism creates significant attraction for destinations, putting pressure on them due to excessive interest and demand. In this context, the research examines the excess caused by gastronomy tourism in Barcelona and analyses how local foods’ commercialisation affects local communities’ sustainability. In this study, qualitative research methods were used to examine 4308 Tripadvisor reviews from 397 businesses by content analysis, resulting in seven themes: problems related to culinary culture, problems related to local culture, service problems, infrastructure problems, economic problems, environmental problems, and safety problems. The study shows that Barcelona’s gastronomy tourism can threaten residents’ culinary culture and negatively impact the sustainability of local communities and the tourist experience.