Mind the Gap: Exploring Perceived Importance and Performance in Regional Wine and Food Tourism Experiences

This paper explores visitor perceptions of wine and food tourism in the Petrich–Sandanski region of Southwestern Bulgaria, an emblematic but underexplored area within the Struma Valley wine region. The aim is to identify key strengths and weaknesses of the regional offer and derive insights to support sustainable destination development and policy design. The study applies a combination of classic and diagonal Importance–Performance Analysis (IPA) to survey data from domestic tourists in Bulgaria (n = 202), comparing the importance assigned to specific attributes with their perceived performance. Findings indicate consistently high evaluations across most attributes, with wine and food quality, authenticity, and atmosphere emerging as core strengths. Value for money and interpretive quality (e.g., commentary and presentation), on the other hand, perform below expectations, suggesting areas for managerial intervention. Less central attributes, such as special diet options and culinary demonstrations, were rated lower in both importance and performance, confirming their peripheral role. The high importance of GI foods, coupled with absence of certified products in the region, points to untapped potential for linking gastronomy with food heritage. The study advances the literature by integrating an innovative dual-IPA framework with a focus on domestic tourist perspectives in an emerging wine tourism destination, offering actionable insights for policy and regional development strategies.