2008/02/20 by Sally Everett, Cara Aitchison · 1 citation
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Business, Management and Accounting · Social Sciences · #Culinary Culture and Tourism #Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research #Wine Industry and Tourism
paper · doi:10.2167/jost696.0
openalex publication_date 2008/02/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This exploratory paper examines the role of food tourism in developing and sustaining regional identities within the context of rural regeneration, agricultural diversification and the creation of closer relationships between production and consumption in the countryside. It focuses on Cornwall, South West England, an area with rural development issues, increasing tourism impacts and contested issues of regional identity. A literature and policy analysis, and in-depth interviews with 12 restaurateurs, were undertaken in four popular tourist locations. Correlation was found between increased levels of food tourism interest and the retention and development of regional identity, the enhancement of environmental awareness and sustainability, an increase in social and cultural benefits celebrating the production of local food and the conservation of traditional heritage, skills and ways of life. The paper draws attention to three issues: the role of food tourism in increasing tourist spending, the potential role of food tourism in extending the tourist season, and the re-examination of food tourist typologies within a sustainability framework.