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This paper aims to critically review current research on food tourism and discuss future research directions in this field of inquiry.

This study reviewed and synthesized current food tourism research.

The findings suggest that food tourism has made considerable progress over the past two decades in both academia and its own industry. Key research themes in food tourism include offering unique food experiences, authenticity through food experiences, using food in destination marketing and focusing on food tourism and sustainability together.

This study identifies and discusses key themes on past, current and future food tourism research. Previous studies have focused on analyzing the nature and extent of linkages between the food and tourism sectors. Future studies should focus on designing and co-creating of unique local food tourism experiences, development of new culinary events, culinary medicine, establishment of stronger stakeholder engagements in food tourism development and the role of social media in promoting food tourism experiences.

The study offers practical implications for industry practitioners and policymakers.

This paper provides a clear perspective on future developments of food tourism research. In particular, future research studies should follow more a multidisciplinary approach and use both qualitative and quantitative research methods.

This chapter aims to assess the scope of India's gastronomic tourism post-COVID-19 and discuss the utilisation of vlogs to promote India as a gastronomic destination. First, the evolution of gastronomic tourism is reviewed. Next, opportunities and challenges associated with India's gastronomic offerings, both from international and domestic tourism perspectives, are discussed. Then, the role of vlogging to position and promote India as a gastronomic destination is established. The chapter suggests recommendations for the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India on utilising vlogging to promote gastronomic tourism.

In the last 3 decades, the rapid growth of tourism activities is evident. Globally, tourism is becoming of prime importance for the development of local economies. A similar trend is observed in the Balkan region and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The total contribution of tourism in GDP of Bosnia and Herzegovina growth is evident, from 2.0% in 2011 to 2.6% in 2017, with bright forecasts from United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) which predicted the 3.4% share of tourism in national GDP by 2028. With aim to indicate the development potential of the touristic sector, gastro tourism sector was ‘screened’ through questionnaires with tourists (n = 245) and with destination management offices (n = 7). This approach should provide insights into stakeholder's capability to understand and react to new challenges that brings gastro tourism; insights into the current gastro offer; and insight into profile, motives and overall tourist's satisfaction. Main findings of the study show that the stakeholders' activities and understandings are not enough to provide a unique identity to the sector. On the other hand, tourists' profile and expectations rise with level and type of information they gather, and this study shows that tourists' expectations are more influenced by the age, education and gender of the tourists', while their satisfaction depends on the working status and monthly income. Future research, which is also the main implication of this study, should follow three main avenues: (1) how to build efficient governance mechanism to ensure development of strong stakeholder network able to create, execute and reinvent shared vision and strategic plan; (2) building knowledge and understanding of local culinary system and practice as step ahead in process of territory interpretation and transformation into the valuable intangible touristic resources; and (3) gastro tourist needs, wishes and ways to engage tourist.

This chapter investigates how food microenterprises leverage cultural representations to develop the tourism offering of a place. Food tourism is considered to provide visitors with cultural experiences of place. In a homogenized world, authentic food characteristics enable tourists to have unique food experiences according to the place. This case study considers the way in which food microenterprises in Wales and Brittany leverage characteristics of place to develop food tourism experiences. Following a mixed methods design, findings show differences in the food tourism offering of Wales and Brittany, and differing levels of awareness of each food destination. Findings also point to the need for clear food tourism strategies, to enable places to fully exploit their unique resources in the food tourism offering.

This study examines the relationship between food experience, emotion, place attachment, and tourists' revisit behavioral intention. A survey questionnaire is conducted on-site in Lukang and distributed to 408 tourists. The dimensions of food experience are established through factor analysis, and a hypothesized model of the relationships between the constructs is tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results indicate that tourists' food experiences included local flavor, media recommendation, local learning, life transfer, and interpersonal sharing. In addition, food experience has a significant impact on emotion and place attachment, and emotion has a substantial effect on place attachment. Finally, place attachment significantly impacts tourists' revisit behavioral intention. The study makes a significant theoretical contribution by identifying food experience, emotion, and place attachment as the salient predictors of heritage tourists' revisit intention. Furthermore, the study suggests that food experiences enhance effective bonding at tourism destinations.

This chapter delineates the conditions, challenges and opportunities for the sustainability of small entrepreneurial firms involved in local food tourism. It raises awareness on how these businesses can enhance their competitiveness in this market. It puts forward an analytical framework that is based on the economic, social, environmental and cultural sustainability of small local food tourism entrepreneurs in Swedish, Italian and Spanish contexts. This research implies that the financial sustainability of these small enterprises is contributing to local economic growth and employment in their country. From the social sustainability aspect these tourism businesses are intrinsically linked to local communities. Their responsible practices are meant to safeguard the environmental sustainability as well as the preservation of their local culture and heritage. At the same time, they enable them to add value to their destination’s cultural sustainability.

Food not only satisfies the need and nourishes positive experiences but also enhances involvement with the cultural, social and environmental attributes of a destination. As urban tourism is embracing sustainable consumption practices (SCP), this study aims to explore tourist’s responsible behaviour by embracing traditional gastronomic delicacies. More specifically, it pinpoints the driving forces behind why people choose traditional gastronomic delights.

The study adopted the triangulation method involving the grounded theory approach (GTA) attained through a series of focus group discussions followed by the survey method taking an emerging economy’s perspective (India and Bangladesh). This study accords equal importance to both the demand and supply perspectives of gastronomic tourism and its stakeholders.

Critical dimensions such as travel motivation, tourist expectations, socio-economic perspectives, mindful consumption, sustainable marketing efforts and community awareness were identified as major influencers towards traditional gastronomic delicacies.

The present study bears significance to the urban developers, policymakers, marketers, regional tourism bodies and tour operators in promoting urban gastronomic cultures through marketing traditional delicacies for sustainable development of the evolving gastronomic industry in India and Bangladesh.

This study makes a novel attempt in exploring critical dimensions in an evolving gastronomic industry by blending an innovative qualitative research methodology like GTA supported by the empirical validation process (quantitative). It proposes a theoretical framework for further advancement of gastronomic and urban tourism towards a SCP.

This chapter addresses the emerging trends in Australia’s food destinations and analyzes different demands for this experience from a Korean tourism market perspective. Tourism Australia’s report on the international market research was analyzed, and the findings indicate that four main food experiences were sought by Koreans. A sense of landscapes plays an important role in enhancing their local food experiences. Multicultural food, health conscious markets, and food shopping are also crucial for developing Australia’s competitive advantage in this area. This chapter suggests marketing implications and directions for future research to explore cross-cultural gaps in food culture and behaviors from the perspectives of Asian tourism markets.

The purpose of this study is to examine how the tourism economy affects local food availability, access, utilization and stability in dessert-prone agricultural heritage sites. Specifically, the study aims to explore the relationship between the tourism industry and local agricultural practices and how this connection influences food security in the Siwa Oasis, located in the Western Desert of Egypt.

The study employs a qualitative exploratory research design using in-depth interviews and focus groups to investigate the impact of the tourism economy on food security and identify potential benefits and limitations for food security in the region.

The research reveals that the tourism economy in Siwa Oasis has only a marginal contribution to food security. The study highlights a lack of a strong connection between the tourism industry and local agricultural practices within the heritage site. As a result, the potential benefits and synergies that could be achieved between tourism and agriculture have not been fully realized, leading to a limited impact on food stability.

This study primarily relies on qualitative data from Siwa Oasis, Egypt, which may limit the generalizability of findings beyond this specific context. Additionally, while the study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between tourism and food security, it does not quantitatively measure the magnitude of tourism's impact. Future research could incorporate quantitative methods for a more comprehensive understanding of this relationship in diverse desert-prone regions. Finally, the study highlights the need for more integrated approaches to enhance food security through tourism, but the specific strategies and policy recommendations require further investigation and adaptation to local contexts.

This study underscores the need for tourism development strategies that prioritize food security in desert-prone areas like Siwa Oasis. Policymakers and stakeholders should promote sustainable tourism practices that enhance local agriculture, create diversified income sources and foster equitable benefits for communities. Moreover, recognizing the seasonal nature of tourism, interventions to address food shortages during off-peak periods are crucial. Efforts should also focus on skill development and gender-inclusive opportunities within the tourism sector to ensure broader community participation. Additionally, collaborations between tourism and agriculture should be encouraged to optimize food availability and stability while preserving cultural food traditions.

This study adds original insights by examining the specific impact of the tourism economy on food security in dessert-prone agricultural heritage sites. The study's originality lies in its exploration of the untapped potential for synergy between the tourism and agricultural sectors and the implications for local food security. This research contributes to understanding how tourism can improve food security in specific contexts and provides valuable insights into sustainable development in heritage sites.

This study aims to analyze the opportunities and potential of industrial tourism for the agri-food industry in the current post-pandemic scenario. Industrial tourism can favor appropriate behaviors by companies and tourists to address emerging challenges in the post-pandemic era, such as responsible production and consumption and the containment of waste production.

The adopted research method is a case study with exploratory purposes, applied to an industrial tourism experiment called “Make it in Puglia” (Apulia Region, Italy). The case study was based on participant observation and semi-structured interviews.

This study analyzes how industrial tourism in active agri-businesses allows local areas to be enhanced while simultaneously improving and strengthening sustainable strategies and choices for organizations and customers, especially in the changing context of the post-pandemic era.

The country specificity of this project and the limited duration of the investigation in the post-pandemic period were the main limitations of this study.

Industrial tourism in the agri-food business can contribute to a sustainable strategy for destination management based on new elements of attractiveness. Moreover, industrial tourism represents an opportunity for agri-food businesses, through the promotion of “business tours,” to respond to requests for more sustainable practices, especially considering that food waste and resource use efficiency have become a topic of growing concern.

This paper is one of the first studies that considers industrial tourism as a strategy for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the agribusiness sector, as it analyzes industrial tourism as an instrument in the construction of a cohesive ecosystem where tourism, agri-food business and local communities together pursue preservation and safeguarding of the environment, heritage and territory.