INNOVATIVE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF GASTRONOMY TOURISM IN TRANSCARPATIA
Authors:   Uzhhorod National University, Hodia Ivan 
Published: August 2024

The article states that the main direction of marketing activity of enterprises of the hotel and restaurant industry is their marketing strategy, the main tasks of which include: defining the mission of the enterprise, its goals and objectives; formation of target markets with determination of the range of products and services; organization of the sales system taking into account a competent price policy, an effective advertising campaign; optimal selection of suppliers, etc. It is noted that, using the example of the Transcarpathian hotel and restaurant complex, with the help of such effective tools as e-mail, SMS and SMM mailings, marketers establish personalized communication with guests, establish closer relationships and increase the loyalty of their customers. It is noted that marketers today call social networks the most effective way to promote gastronomic products, thanks to which the opportunities to reach the widest possible audience have significantly increased. It is emphasized that Instagram and Facebook platforms are considered to be particularly popular, with the help of which the role of the appearance and forms of presentation of such products with the use of beautiful tableware and the creation of bright photo and video materials has significantly increased. It has been proven that marketing innovations have a positive effect on the development of gastronomic tourism infrastructure, which in turn affects the creation of culinary establishments where you can learn how to prepare local dishes, the opening of new restaurants with national cuisine, the development of chains of specialty stores, for example, honey, cheese, etc. It is emphasized that the fans of gastronomic tourism are especially attracted by unexpected taste combinations of ingredients, for example, in such seemingly incompatible dishes as sausage with plum jam, which the Transcarpathians call lekvar, local candies «Shkvarky in chocolate», fern soup, etc. It is noted that the «Gastronomic Tourist Route» developed for Transcarpathia includes the following services: such as: visits to national restaurants of Transcarpathia at the guests' choice (Hungarian, Slovak, German, Polish, Roma, Hutsul, Romanian, Jewish, Slovak, Czech, Austrian); participation in gastronomic festivals of Transcarpathia throughout the year; familiarization with the history and recipes of national cuisine in accordance with the seasons; participation in the preparation of various national dishes and drinks; participation in national holidays related to multifaceted national gastronomy; visiting the best wine tasting halls of Transcarpathia (Uzhhorod, Berehovo); tastings of wine, cheeses, honey, liqueurs, brandies, tinctures made according to traditional recipes of the peoples of the region. It is noted that among the directions of innovative research in the development of gastronomic tourism in a certain region, such know-how should be singled out as: clarifying the purpose and content of gastronomic tourism, which are distinguished by novelty; application of new methods of organizing gastronomic tours and culinary festivals; optimal use of the achievements of the development of gastrotourism at the local levels of destinations and territorial communities; implementation of marketing know-how when introducing a new gastronomic tour product to the market; possibilities of tourist clustering of the region, etc. It is also noted that marketing innovations can be implemented at various levels of development and provision of specialized gastro-tourism services, as they have a positive effect not only on the sale of specific products, but also on the tourist competitiveness of destinations and the region in general. It has been proven that the process of reengineering with an accented gastronomic aspect is capable of deepening the development of more effective strategies for increasing one's competitiveness. It is emphasized that a more in-depth study of festival gastronomic (culinary) tourism is promising