Food souvenirs in the perception of the tourist: the case of the artisanal minas Serro cheese.

The present study aimed to analyze the artisanal minas cheese as a food souvenir in the perception of the tourist. The justification of the theme refers to the fact that souvenirs carry different meanings for the tourist and also serve to the divulgation of the destiny. Food souvenirs evoke a taste memory and a sharing of different experiences. The choice for the artisanal cheese from Serro as a food souvenir was due to the fact that this product is a component of the culture of the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and holds a record of intangible heritage and geographical indication. The research approach was quanti-qualitative, and the methodology of a questionnaire applied online to people who traveled to the producing region was chosen. There were 129 answers, out of which 103 considered valid. Direct observation was also carried out at commercial locations during field research. Originality derives from the scarce works on food souvenirs and more specifically on products with registration of geographical indication as souvenirs of this category. The results point out fragilities in the commercialization of the product as a food souvenir. However, the respondents demonstrated a favorable behavior to issues related to differentiating identity, identification of origin, adequate packaging and easy transportation. The findings are congruent with the proposal of Horodyski et al. (2014).