Co-Creation of Cheese Tourism as a Business Development Strategy: Perspectives from Hoteliers

This research aims to record hotel owners’ perceptions as subjective measures of the degree of integration of local traditional cheese varieties in the hospitality sector. Within the context of cheese tourism, this specific type of alternative tourism is operationalized through B2B co-creation among tourism businesses and cheese factories, serving as a framework for perceived business development. Specifically, this study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the managerial views on the current state of cheese tourism in relation to the entrepreneurship strengthening, the opportunities, and challenges that could favor cooperation between the two sectors. Descriptive and inductive statistics were conducted, collecting primary data from hotels in the Peloponnese, Greece, which has a long tradition of cheese production. Regional tradition and star rating determine the integration of local cheese. While 4–5-star hotels leverage cheese heritage for differentiation and experiential services, lower-end hotels face cost and supply chain barriers, requiring supporting strategies and cross-sector partnerships. The study offers original knowledge for the development of specific strategic proposals for the use of cheese tourism through co-creation for business development of hotels. Future research is recommended to record the views of all stakeholders and correlate them with objective financial performance.