Gastronomic Tourism Experience Design

Presentation

The Online Specialization Course in Gastronomic Tourism Experience Design is designed for professionals who want to create memorable gastronomic offerings within the current tourism ecosystem, balancing authenticity, sustainability, and profitability.

Throughout the course you will gain tools to design gastronomic experiences with their own identity, manage culinary routes or events, and apply digital marketing, brand narrative, and sustainability strategies.

You will learn to translate local culture into authentic experiences that generate economic impact, social value, and an emotional connection with the traveler.

Thanks to its 100% online format, the course combines live classes with experts, access to digital resources, and applied activities, such as creating a gastronomic business plan. You will also take part in collaborative activities with tourism and gastronomy professionals, expanding your network in a global setting.

This program will let you boost your career from anywhere, whether you work at a travel agency, in a gastronomic destination, or want to launch your own project, giving you the keys to design relevant, sustainable gastronomic experiences.

More than 10 years advancing knowledge in gastronomic tourism

Basque Culinary Center is an international reference institution in gastronomy and gastronomic tourism. Since 2015, BCC has advanced training, knowledge, and the professionalization of this discipline in collaboration with UNWTO, connecting gastronomy, tourism, territory, sustainability, and innovation.

This track record is reflected in international initiatives such as the World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, co-organized by BCC and UNWTO, and in reference publications for the sector, such as the Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomy Tourism and the Handbook of Good Practices in Gastronomic Tourism.

BCC specialization courses in gastronomic tourism bring this experience into the classroom through practical, international, action-oriented training. An opportunity to learn from the knowledge developed alongside leading players in the sector and to develop projects that can add value to destinations, companies, institutions, and local communities.

Get to know the Online Course in Gastronomic Tourism Experience Design through its coordinator:

Course objectives

Acquire a solid grounding in gastronomic tourism, understanding its foundations, trends, and current challenges at a global level.

Develop skills to design and manage memorable tourism experiences, covering route planning, destination promotion, and the creation of culinary experiences with emotional impact.

Explore the relationship between gastronomy, culture, and travel, understanding how culinary aspects influence traveler motivation and the building of destination identities.

Apply technological and digital tools for the promotion and commercialization of gastronomic tourism products, including content marketing, social media management, and specialized platforms.

Understand sustainability in gastronomic tourism, promoting responsible practices that preserve culinary heritage, boost the local economy, and respect the natural and cultural environment.

Professional applications

Specialized consulting and advisory
- Advisor on tourism development projects with a gastronomic focus.
- Consultant on strategies to add value to culinary heritage.
Experience design and management
- Person in charge of creating gastronomic routes and tourism products.
- Coordinator of culinary experiences in hotels, wineries, or agrifood spaces.
Tourism operations and promotion
- Specialized guide in gastronomic and cultural tourism.
- Specialist in promoting gastronomic destinations.

Marketing, communication, and events
- Specialist in gastronomic communication at agencies or in the media.
- Participation in gastronomic events, fairs, and markets.
Teaching and research
- Collaborator on educational or research projects in gastronomic tourism.
- Trainer in programs related to food culture and food tourism.
Entrepreneurship and product development
- Creator of new tourism services based on gastronomic identity.
- Manager of museum spaces or cultural centers focused on gastronomy.

Training program

The global landscape of the tourism sector.
The gastronomy-tourism pairing.
Gastronomic tourism: conceptualization, evolution, and trends.
The value chain of gastronomic tourism in a tourism destination.
Case study of gastronomic tourism destinations and companies.

Strategic planning: concept and need.
Diagnostic and planning tools.
Design of business models, products, services, and customer experiences.
The executive function / management.
Strategic planning vs. strategic marketing.

Basic concepts of tourism demand and segmentation.
Profiles of gastronomic tourists. Reference studies on gastronomic tourism demand profiles.
The user experience of the gastronomic tourist.
Methods and tools for understanding the gastronomic tourist.
Service culture: in pursuit of excellence.

The concept of a tourism experience.
Elements of a tourism experience.
Types of gastronomic tourism experiences.
Differentiation-specialization as a strategy.
Step-by-step design of gastronomic tourism experiences.
Case studies of standout experiences in gastronomic tourism.

Foundations of tourism marketing.
Branding: gastronomy as a brand argument and positioning tool.
360º communication and promotion strategies for gastronomic tourism: online and offline.
Commercialization strategies.
Customer loyalty strategies.

Creation of a gastronomic tourism product or experience.
Development of a destination strategy.
Research in gastronomic tourism.
Other projects may be accepted subject to evaluation by the coordinator.

Who it’s for

The Online Specialization Course in Gastronomic Tourism Experience Design is designed for professionals who want to specialize in the design, management, and promotion of tourism experiences with a gastronomic focus, strengthening their skills in conceptualization, commercialization, and sustainability, and applying knowledge in tourism, gastronomic, and cultural settings. Through this program, participants will broaden their profile in the sector, gaining access to tools and methods that will let them grow in their professional path.

1. Tourism professionals

Professionals who want to specialize in gastronomic tourism and experience design, adding new tools to develop, manage, and promote offerings linked to gastronomy.

Tour guides.
Travel agents.
Managers of tourism companies.
Consultants.

2. Gastronomy professionals

Gastronomy professionals interested in entering the tourism sector and developing new offerings linked to gastronomic identity and territory.

Hotel professionals.
Restaurant professionals.
Winery professionals.
Professionals from markets or food industries.

3. Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs who want to create or develop projects in gastronomic tourism, from new products and experiences to initiatives linked to destinations and territories.

People who want to create new tourism projects.
Entrepreneurs linked to gastronomy and territory.

4. Recent graduates

Graduates who want to complement their training and specialize in the design and management of gastronomic tourism experiences.

Tourism.
Gastronomy and hospitality.
Marketing and communication.
Journalism.
Economics and business.
Geography.
Sociology and anthropology.

5. Professionals from other sectors

Professionals in fields such as marketing, communication, journalism, and the humanities who want to connect their profile to the development of tourism experiences with a gastronomic identity.

Calendar

Periods	Dates	Schedule and information
Academic period	October 27, 2026 to March 18, 2027	Weekly live classes: Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. (CEST).
Module 0 · Introduction to the platform	At the start of the academic period	Getting familiar with the course methodology and the learning platform.
Weekly commitment	Throughout the academic period	Approximately 12 hours per week.
Access to materials	After the course ends	The content and materials available in the virtual classroom will remain accessible for the three months after the course ends.

Methodology

How does the course work?

Online format: A combination of live content, recorded classes, and interactive resources available 24/7 from any device.
Live classes: Weekly sessions with sector experts that will let you resolve questions and go deeper into the key topics of gastronomic tourism.
Access to digital resources: Teaching materials, technical documentation, real examples, and explanatory videos to complement learning.
Personalized feedback: Corrected activities, follow-up forums, and individual tutorials to resolve questions and guide your learning.
Forums and networking spaces: Direct interaction with faculty and peers to share progress, discuss ideas, and receive feedback.

Key methodological principles of the course:

Activation of prior knowledge: each module begins with an opening activity to connect your experience with the new content.
Presentation and applied analysis: a combination of theoretical content and practical exercises with participatory analysis.
Real case studies: examples from the sector to understand how concepts apply directly.
Discussion and sharing: collaborative spaces to reflect with other participants on the challenges and opportunities in the sector.

This approach will allow you to:

Faculty

Coordination

David Mora Gómez

He has been named one of the 150 most influential people in tourism in Spain for three consecutive years. He has worked in the tourism sector since 1995, with experience in different areas such as destination promotion, hospitality, training, and consulting. He holds a degree in Tourism Activities from the University of Deusto, a degree in Tourism from Nebrija University, and a master’s degree in Tourism Management from Bournemouth University. He is a professor and director of several programs related to tourism and hospitality at various universities. As a consultant, he has worked on numerous projects in Europe and Latin America. Since 2005, he has been involved in the development of gastronomic tourism projects. He has been an auditor of Rutas del Vino de España since 2007, and he is a regular speaker at forums and conferences on gastronomic tourism.

Faculty and collaborators

Iñaki Gaztelumendi

colaborador experto

He has worked in the tourism sector for more than 25 years. He was Tourism Director of Santiago de Compostela. He is the founder and director of the consultancy Verne Tourism Experts. Associate lecturer on the gastronomic tourism training programs at Basque Culinary Center. He was technical director of the UNWTO-Basque Culinary Center World Forum on Gastronomic Tourism and co-author of the Guidelines for the Development of Gastronomic Tourism prepared by the UNWTO and Basque Culinary Center.

Eduardo Serrano

Colaborador experto

President of AIDABE - Ibero-American Association of Food and Beverage Directors, Hotel and Food Service Company Director. MBA in Business Administration, specialized in Strategic Planning and Creative Thinking. With over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive, consultant, researcher, and speaker in the leisure, tourism, hospitality, and restaurant industries, both nationally and internationally.

What our alumni say

I am a guide at a tourism company specialized in the Camino de Santiago and in cultural and nature tourism. In this course, I have improved my skills in a tourism segment that is growing and has endless possibilities. Sharing this experience with colleagues from around the world and from different sectors has been truly enriching.

Laura Segade

Tourist guide

Both the content, delivered through an engaging methodology, and the variety of speakers, many of them entrepreneurs or recognized experts in tourism, provided a solid balance. The excellent coordination of the course, in terms of professionalism, dedication, and availability, also ensured that this program was an excellent experience. I learned, researched, and shared, and thanks to the course, I am now immersed in the field of gastronomic tourism.

Lanzada Calatayud Álvarez

Tourism consultant

Price and payment

Total price: 2.730 € - 100 € discount if you enroll before September 15, 2026.

Payment method:

150 € enrollment fee.
40% of the amount, 1.032 €, upon confirmation of admission as a place reservation.
The remainder of the amount, 1.548 € , must be paid before the course starts.

The price includes:

Access to the learning platform.
Downloadable academic materials.
Weekly live class with practicing experts.
Tutoring of the learning process.
Joining the Basque Culinary Center Alumni community after successfully completing the course.
Certificate issued by Basque Culinary Center.

As a member of the BCC Alumni community, you have access to exclusive discounts on our programs and training activities. Below are the benefits available depending on the training you have previously completed:

I AM A BACHELOR’S OR MASTER’S ALUMNI

10% discount on Master’s programs
10% discount on Specialization Courses
10% discount on Intensive Courses, workshops, seminars, and master classes
10% discount on WSET Courses (Levels 1, 2, and 3)

I AM A SPECIALIZATION COURSE ALUMNI

5% discount on Master’s programs
5% discount on Specialization Courses
10% discount on Intensive Courses, workshops, seminars, and master classes
10% discount on WSET Courses (Levels 1, 2, and 3)

To benefit from the discount, if you want to take a master’s or specialization course (either online or on-site) you must complete the registration process as usual. The discount percentage will be applied to the last installment of the course and you will be notified at that time. After registering, you can let us know that you are Alumni by emailing alumni@bculinary.com. If you register with your @alumni account, this last step is not necessary. If the tuition fee is paid in a single payment, contact alumni@bculinary.com before registering to request the discount code you need to enter during registration.

If a visa is required because of nationality, a type C (Schengen) visa must be requested in order to enter Spain.

International students must travel with the official documentation that proves their enrollment in the course and proof of the health insurance taken out, which will provide coverage during their stay in Spain.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS FOR MASTER’S PROGRAMS

Given the official nature of the degree, students legally residing in Spain may apply for calls for public scholarships or grants. International students may also apply for funding and scholarships from institutions in their home countries that support study abroad.

ERASMUS+ SCHOLARSHIPS

Students may apply for an international mobility grant to complete internships in Europe under the Erasmus+ program.

SUPPORT FOR STUDENT EMPLOYABILITY

In order to support students in their job search, during or after their studies, students in this master’s program will receive information on the job offers received by the faculty.

During their stay they may also apply for the study-work scholarships offered by the Faculty and provide their services in the different departments: R&D, operations, cafeteria, etc.