Destination image restoration through local gastronomy: the rise of Baja Med cuisine in Tijuana

Purpose Developing an effective destination branding strategy in places that have a negative image is still a difficult challenge to overcome for place marketers. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyze how developing and promoting a new cuisine can transform a negative destination image into a positive one. The main premise is that food can be an effective way of rebranding a destination. Design/methodology/approach The research method used for this exploratory study was the qualitative content analysis of 50 articles from newspapers and magazines in English and websites from the Mexican tourism boards websites. Findings The results of the qualitative content analysis showed that local chefs (who are proud of their city and aim to promote their cuisine through the use of local products and the organization of food events) are fundamental for the development of a new and successful cuisine able to change the negative image of a destination. Originality/value The paper provides an innovative approach to destination image restoration by analyzing local gastronomy as an important means to offset the negative media projection of a damaged destination image.