Wine and Gastronomic Tourism as a Tool for Popularizing the Cultural Heritage of Crimea as a Region of the Northern Black Sea Region

Introduction. Recently, enogastronomic tourism has become very popular, especially in regions with resources for its development. Enogastronomic tourism is a type of specialised tourism, the purpose of which is to promote traditional for a certain territory food product, drinks, grown in compliance with technology in an ecologically clean area, making dishes and drinks from these products and their consumption. Enogastronomy involves the consumption of wine together with other traditional products (cheese, meat products, fruits, berries, vegetables). That is, it represents the culinary art of a particular locality. Crimea as a region of the Northern Black Sea coast has a significant potential for the development of enogastronomic tourism. The stable positive dynamics of tourism development in Crimea gives grounds to consider the tourism industry as an important factor in popularising the cultural heritage of Crimea as a region of the Northern Black Sea coast.

Trends in tourism development in the 21^st century allow us to talk about the formation of a new model of consumer behaviour. For many tourists, the importance of cultural, educational and environmental aspects of travel exceeds the interest of entertainment and comfort, and the value of geographical space is increasing. The relevance of research in this direction is also determined by the lack of a holistic understanding of the essence of the category ‘tourist enogastronomic product’, the imperfection of recommendations and conclusions in the issues of its formation. The timeliness and relevance of the study of these problems has determined the purpose of the article and its objectives. The purpose of the article is to study the peculiarities of the functioning of enogastronomic tourism in the Crimea, the region of the Northern Black Sea coast, as a form of intensification of preservation and a tool for popularisation of the cultural heritage of the region.

Materials and Methods. To achieve the goal, both general scientific methods of research and special methods were used. Methods of generalisation, systematisation, analysis and synthesis are used to highlight the theoretical and methodological foundations of enogastronomic tourism development. To characterise the domestic experience of enogastronomic tourism development the structural-functional and comparative methods, statistical and prognostic methods, the method of computer processing of information are used.

The development of tourism and recreational development of the Russian Federation, as well as enogastronomic tourism, is fixed in the Strategy of tourism development in the Russian Federation until 2035, in the National Project ‘Tourism and Hospitality Industry’. The analysis of scientific literature indicates an active scientific and practical study of various aspects of enogastronomic, gastronomic and wine tourism. These directions are reflected in the works of such authors as Y.S. Putrik, E.E. Ibragimov, I.E. Avdil, N.N. Lykova, D.A. Sinitsa, V.S. Anokhin, I.Yu. Bomberuk, A.V. Malkova, N.V. Shabalina, E.I. Piskun, I.A. Golubeva, Yu.

Results. Enogastronomic (gastronomic and wine) tourism is a type of tourism that combines aspects of travelling such as exploring new cultures and enjoying food and drink. It involves visiting regions known for their culinary traditions and vineyards, exploring local food and wine production, and experiencing the unique flavours and aromas of the area. Gastronomy and wine tourism has become increasingly popular in recent years as travelers seek new experiences and tastes.

From a theoretical point of view, gastronomic and wine tourism can be considered from several approaches. Researcher Hall proposes to consider this tourism as a form of cultural tourism, which involves exploring the cultural heritage and traditions of a particular region. In this context, food and wine become an important part of the local culture, the tourism experience involves learning about the history, traditions of food and wine production [13]. Another theoretical approach, proposed by P. Long and M. Robinson, is to consider gastronomy and wine tourism as a form of tourism that reflects the engaging and interactive nature of the travelling experience. In this case, food and wine are seen as a way of connecting with local culture.

Thus, foreign researchers understand enogastronomic tourism as a type of cultural tourism, which involves a tour for the purpose of wine tasting and acquaintance with culinary traditions and local cuisine. Gastronomic and wine tourism is also seen as a way to promote local agriculture and support small businesses such as family wineries and restaurants. Whether enogastronomic tourism is seen as a form of cultural tourism, experiential tourism, niche tourism or eco-tourism, it offers travellers a unique and enjoyable way to explore new cultures and enjoy the flavours of the world.

Researching retrospectively [14, 15], it can be noted that enogastronomic tourism is a growing segment of tourism, which originated in the process of interaction between culture, history and gastronomy of different regions of the world. Wine tourism began its development in the ancient world when vineyards became an important component of agriculture. Today wine and gastronomic tourism has been actively developed in Crimea. Wine tourists can visit vineyards, wineries, participate in wine tastings and masterclasses, where they can learn more about wine production. Gastronomic tourists can taste dishes that reflect local traditions and culture, visit farms and markets where they can buy fresh local produce, and visit restaurants that specialise in local cuisine.

Wine and gastronomy tourism allows tourists to experience local culture and history, contributes to the development of the region’s economy, and preserves the cultural heritage and traditions of the region. In Crimea, where winemaking and gastronomy are important sectors of the economy, wine and gastronomy tourism is a significant source of income for local residents and businesses. Three vectors of enogastronomic tourism in Crimea can be distinguished — cultural, economic and social (Table 1).

Table 1

Main vectors of enogastronomic tourism orientation in Crimea

The development of enogastronomic tourism will contribute to the preservation of the cultural heritage and traditions of Crimea. Crimea’s tourism sector has significant tourism potential due to its rich cultural heritage, natural attractions and diverse tourism offerings. The region’s cultural heritage is reflected in its historic castles, fortresses, churches and synagogues, as well as traditional festivals and events.

There are more than 40 wineries operating in Crimea. They include the Federal State Unitary Enterprise ‘Massandra’, ‘Plant of vintage wines Koktebel’, the winery ‘Solnechnaya Dolina’, the House of champagne wines ‘Novy Svet’, the champagne wines plant ‘Zolotaya Balka’, the winery ‘Perovskikh Estate’, the vintage wines plant ‘Inkerman’ and others. By 2025 the volume of wine production in Crimea should reach 50 million dL of basic wine and 15 million dL of various wines for the retail market [16]. Excursions with a visit to tasting rooms are organised by ‘Massandra’, Research Institute of grapes and wine ‘Magarach’, ‘Novy Svet’, ‘Sun Valley’, ‘Dionis’ and others. Such routes as ‘Sun in a glass’ (Sudak — Novy Svet — Sun Valley) and ‘Hymn to the vine’ (Sevastopol — Inkerman — Sudak — Alupka — Livadia — Nikita — Sun Valley) were in demand among tourists and locals. At present, excursions with tasting are practised by many, including small private wineries in Crimea [14]. In order to diversify the tour product wineries, develop enogastronomic tours (e. g., the project ‘Wine and Cheese of Sunny Valley’, the project ‘TerruART’ of the champaneria ‘Golden Balka’), organize quests, hold festivals and holidays (‘Labour Tour’ of Maasandra, ‘WineFest’ of ‘Golden Balka’).

In 2018, a circular tourist route ‘Wine Road of Crimea’ was developed, linking more than 35 wineries in the region, which cooperates entities of the wine industry, hotel complexes and the gastronomic segment (farms, cheese farms, restaurants and others). The wine tour is supplemented with an excursion programme and event events (festivals, master classes, forums, fairs). ‘Wine Road of Crimea’ with a length of more than 480 km. consists of four sections — these are the south-eastern, south coastal, Sevastopol and western routes [16]. Thus, the main types of tourist objects of the Crimean destination can be grouped as follows (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Types of tourist objects of the Crimean tourist destination

Crimean cuisine is a true treasure of the region’s cultural heritage and has a rich history of formation. Crimea’s cuisine and wine have been influenced by its geography, history and cultural diversity. Crimea’s location in the Northern Black Sea region characterises its multicultural character of its cuisine and winemaking traditions. In addition to its diverse cuisine, Crimea is also known for its winemaking traditions. The unique terroir of the Crimean Mountains combined with the influence of mild climate; Black sea contributed to the distinctive character of Crimean wines [17]. In general, the formation and emergence of Crimean cuisine and wine is a reflection of the diverse cultural heritage and natural environment of the Crimean region, as well as its history and geopolitical context.

An enogastronomic tour of Crimea is an incredible experience for any foodie who wants to taste authentic dishes and drinks from this region. Crimea is a region rich in history and culture, and its cuisine is a reflection of this diversity.

Based on the generalisation of the main scientific approaches and comprehension of the outlined problems, we believe that enogastronomic tourism is a type of tourism related to acquaintance with the history, technology and culture of alcoholic beverages consumption, gastronomy in a certain region and tasting of alcoholic beverages at the producer. Enogastronomy in the tourism sense combines services, products, activities emphasising the culinary recipes of the region and traditional products. Nowadays, enogastronomy is an integral part of getting to know the culture, traditions and life of different regions. It embraces traditional values that have a connection with new trends in the tourism industry: respect for traditions and culture, preservation of authenticity, lifestyle, cultural enrichment. Enogastronomic tour is an innovative tourist product, a set of events for tasting dishes, ingredients, wine, traditional in a certain area, which have no analogues in other regions.

Discussion and Conclusion. Based on the conducted research, the following measures are proposed in order to improve enogastronomic tours in Crimea:

‒ expanding the range of food and drinks: tour organisers constantly add new restaurants and cafes to the tour programme that offer unique local food and drinks;

‒ improving the quality of service: tour organisers can improve the quality of service in restaurants and cafés;

‒ advertising campaign: tour organisers can run an advertising campaign to increase their visibility and attract new customers;

‒ improving transport infrastructure: tour organisers can cooperate with local carriers to provide comfortable transport for tourists;

‒ use of new technologies: tour organisers can use technology to facilitate the organisation and delivery of the tour;

‒ itinerary development: developing a variety of itineraries that cover different areas of Crimea, with visits to local farms, wineries, wineries, food factories, cheese factories and local restaurants with national and traditional cuisine;

‒ promotion of local products: disseminating information about Crimea’s local food products such as wine, honey, cheese, meat, fruits, berries and vegetables;

‒ local participation: involving local people in enogastronomic tours where they can share their knowledge of traditional dishes and food production processes;

‒ cooking master classes: organising cooking master classes where tourists can learn how to cook traditional Crimean dishes under the guidance of local chefs;

‒ partnerships with hotels and restaurants: co-operation with hotels and restaurants to offer special dishes, special packages of enogastronomic tours for their guests;

‒ cultural heritage preservation: introducing measures to protect and preserve Crimea’s cultural heritage related to food and wine;

‒ infrastructure development: providing adequate infrastructure for enogastronomic tours, such as modern hotels, restaurants, cookery laboratories and markets with local products;

‒ construction of wine hotels. The main purpose of designing these hotels is to accommodate wine tourists who take part in wine tours;

‒ creating a more interactive experience for tourists to make the tour more memorable;

‒ developing more varied and interesting excursions to cater to the interests of tourists;

‒ training for tour guides and restaurant and café staff so that they have sufficient knowledge of local cuisine and culture to be able to properly convey this information to tourists.

So, improving enogastronomic tours in Crimea can be achieved by introducing new technologies, more cooperation with local producers and the tourism industry, and creating a more interactive experience for tourists.

We believe that further development of enogastronomic tourism in Crimea should be based on such principles as: diversified and active marketing campaign, including digital media, platforms for tourism development; expansion of tourist services and activities, such as excursions, adventure holidays, ecotourism, spa treatments, etc., which will help to attract a diverse audience of tourists; preservation of natural monuments and cultural heritage; partnership and cooperation between tourism enterprises, producers and local entrepreneurs; improvement of enogastronomic tourism infrastructure, including restaurants, culinary master classes, wineries, food and beverage shops, etc.; diversification of enogastronomic elements into existing tourist routes, formation of unique enogastronomic routes; consideration of culture, local traditions and customs in the development of enogastronomic routes and programmes with the aim of preserving, promoting and promoting cultural and cultural heritage of the region.