A Qualitative Exploration of Food Tourism as a Lever for Food Systems Transformation

Abstract

Objective: This research aims to explore stakeholder perspectives on (1) a growing interest amongst the public in food tourism and (2) the intersection of food tourism and food systems with the potential to drive transformation.Methods: Using qualitative research methods, structured interviews were conducted with 11 participants in the US and Europe in 2023. Participants represented key stakeholder perspectives from government agencies, academia, and public and private sector organizations. Results: Participants described the importance of media and social media in shifting consumer values to favor food tourism and experiential travel. Though most participants did not explicitly articulate the potential impacts of food tourism in terms of its ability to influence food systems, many participants described impacts that were related to food systems components, characteristics, and goals, such as the potential for food tourism to contribute to local economies, pride in place, and resilience. Conclusions: It is of high importance that stakeholders from food systems and food tourism recognize their collective power in influencing systems dynamics that impact food system transformation. Moving forward from this research, food tourism and food system entities must expand and invite conversations on the relationship between these two sectors.