Vasile AVĂDĂNEI 1,2*, Ioan SURDU 1, Lidia AVĂDĂNEI 2
1 Center for Mountain Economy “CE-MONT” of the National Institute of Economic Research “Costin C. Kiriţescu”, Romanian Academy
2 Creative Innovative Business Incubation Center, Romanian Mountain Forum
Corresponding author: vasileavadanei2004@yahoo.com; +40 721811362
Abstract
of direct interpersonal contacts affected by the constraints of interaction and isolation established at national and international levels during the COVID 19 pandemic. An important role in achieving this goal is expected from the rural mountain tourism, which preserves traditional elements that mitigate the shocks of change during the transition to post-modern society and which can serve a special strategy. Relatively recently, a new form of support for rural mountain tourism has been established, gastronomic tourism, based on the valorization of mountain products and the foundation of the local gastronomic points. These increase the attractiveness of the rural mountain space by intensifying people’s travels and interactions between hosts and guests. In this paper, our aim is to highlight how the interaction interface between the two parties is modified, with local cultural support as a catalyst. Elements of cultural, emotional, and spiritual interaction revealed that these have to be well prepared to reduce possible unpredictable negative reactions in the host-guest relationship. In this form of tourism, the action moves predominantly to the householder’s yard, which implies a voluntary invasion of the host family’s universe. In addition to the prepared food products, guests seek and want to find out information about the host family, about culture, customs, local traditions, etc. Hosts care about their image and prepare an environment that is as attractive and as hospitable as possible. All of this requires efforts and compromises on the part of the hosts, by partially giving up the privacy of their own households. Moreover, the host must have the ability to communicate funny stories and histories to the guests, framed in elements of culture and civilization. A pertinent and well-founded study requires a specific theoretical approach to the phenomena to highlight cultural and emotional particularities, to describe in detail elements of the domestic activity continuum in order to transform them into elements of tourist attraction and to capitalize on them in the diversity of hospitality.
Keywords:
Mountain product, local gastronomic point, the relationship between “house” and “home”, emotional communication, the “host” – “guest” relationship