Competitiveness Patterns of Gastronomic Tourism: Crisis Business Planning, Project Management and Risk Management

The purpose of the study is to identify the key factors of competitiveness of gastronomic tourism in the context of crisis phenomena, in particular, by conducting a survey to substantiate effective approaches to risk management, project management and business planning in the field of gastronomic tourism. Comparative analysis, systematization, generalization, survey, statistical analysis (Chi square test, Kramer's coefficient). The survey of 768 respondents in Ukraine and the EU countries in Eastern and Central Europe revealed that the key factors in the development of gastronomic tourism are natural conditions, geographical location, cultural heritage, social food traditions, gastronomic infrastructure, marketing strategies, environmental practices, technological innovations and economic development, with 37.76% of respondents emphasizing the impact of socio-economic changes on tourist demand, which indicates the complex nature of the factors that determine the attractiveness of regions for gastronomic tourism. According to the survey results, the development of gastronomic tourism is most effectively ensured through the promotion of traditional dishes, the use of historical and cultural elements, and the involvement of famous chefs, which emphasizes the importance of authenticity and expert approach, and the stability of the industry is maintained through flexible business model planning, anti-crisis strategies and the formation of a reserve fund, which demonstrates the importance of adaptability and diversification for sustainable development. The results of the statistical analysis of risk identification methods in gastronomic tourism showed that the most significant by χ² are “Financial risk management” and “Analysis of internal and external factors”, which indicates significant differences in the frequency of their use, while SWOT analysis has a weak statistical significance, and the overall Cramer's coefficient indicates a weak interaction between the frequency of methods and their choice, which suggests that there is no strong dependence between these variables.