COMMUNICATIVE STRATEGY FOR CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT IN A SPANISH-LANGUAGE GASTROTURISTIC GUIDE

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the communicative-pragmatic characteristics of a gastronomic tourism guide as one of the newest genres of Spanish-language gastronomic discourse. A gastronomic tourism guide combines elements of gastronomic, tourism, and advertising discourses. The subject of our attention is the peculiarities of implementing a communicative strategy to attract clients, as the primary goal of a gastronomic tourism guide is to create an appealing image of the area in order to attract tourists. The research material is the gastronomic tourism guide “Ciudades Patrimonio de la Humanidad de España”, which provides information about Spanish cities that are part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and about the peculiarities of dishes typical of these areas. The communicative strategy of client engagement is embodied in numerous tactics, including the tactic of appealing to authoritative sources, the tactic of immersing the client in a socio-historical context, which are aimed at focusing the recipient’s attention on the historical and cultural features of the area that is recommended to visit. The tactic of emphasizing the uniqueness of a product or dish, the tactic of highlighting the quality and naturalness of the product, the tactic of appealing to international recognition, and the tactic of appealing to traditions and values help draw the client’s attention to the uniqueness of the dish or product that can be tasted in a particular area. In addition, the opportunity to save money, enjoy the experience or immerse oneself in a festive atmosphere is implemented in the guide through corresponding tactics. The tactic of inducing action appeals to the client’s mind, while the tactic of affective-emotional influence promises him aesthetic, emotional and gustatory pleasure. Among the key linguistic and linguistic-stylistic means that implement the aforementioned tactics are precedent names, toponyms, glutonyms with a topographic component, epithets, metaphors, and others. The result of implementing the communicative and pragmatic impact of the above tactics should be to encourage the client to take action, namely the desire to visit the proposed tourist locations and taste local dishes and products.