“…First, our study revealed that the majority of restaurants were used as both separate attractions-since consumers are more eager to visit the destination because of the restaurant and the reputation of the Michelin-starred chef,-and as destination attractions since the Michelin-starred restaurants enhance the attractiveness of the destination by featuring the uniqueness of the food culture in which the cuisine of the chef is embedded. Our research, however, revealed multiple forms of Michelin-starred restaurants' activities that lead to destination promotion ranging from staging luxury gastronomic experiences that focus on food well-being(Batat et al, 2019) and emphasizing the positive social, environment, and economic impacts of Michelin-starred restaurants to the improvement of the destination branding through the gastronomization and the augmentation of the media capital of the destination. This showed that restaurants do not always have a negative impact on promoting sustainable and authentic destinations, which have been claimed in previous research (e.g.,Long, 2004).Our research confirmed the crucial role of Michelin-starred restaurants as responsible market actors, change-makers, and advocates of tourism activities in both rural and urban contexts.…”