Local gastronomy, culture and tourism sustainable cities: The behavior of the American tourist

The cuisine has been set in recent years as one of the key elements for the promotion and consolidation of tourist destinations. The aim of this paper is to contribute to the scientific literature in the field of sustainable tourism in Latin America from the declared American tourists to the local cuisine as variable of interest in a destination registered as World Heritage Cities. The methodology is based upon on a questionnaire given to American travelers who visited the city of Cuenca (Ecuador). The results show evidence of the existence of different attitudes towards food as a variable of interest in choosing a destination and tourist experience, while allowing you to explore as these different attitudes have an impact on the behavior of the American tourist. In this regard, greater attitude towards the local cuisine translates into a major tourist impact that implies a higher planned expenditure, a maximum behavioral loyalty, greater appreciation of the quality or degree of innovation of Ecuadorian cuisine.