Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism

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Volume 7, Number 3

Transforming Rural Foodscapes Through Festivalization: A Conceptual Model – 119
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932348

Anne-Mette Hjalager* and Grzegorz Kwiatkowski†‡

*Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, Faculty of Business and Social Sciences, University of Southern Denmark, Kolding, Denmark
†Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Business Administration and Social Sciences, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway
‡Department of Economics, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Koszalin University of Technology, Koszalin, Poland

This article conceptualizes the transformative potential of food festivals for rural foodscapes. The study elaborates on the ideas behind the term “festivalization.” It seeks to understand the potential impacts of festivals on the spatial surroundings rather than the opposite, which is most frequently seen in the research on rural food festivals. Festivalization describes a process where transformative forces that trickle into the rural foodscape can be seen as continuance and incentives for change. The article introduces the following paradigmatic lenses through which festivalization and rural transformation can be observed: (1) resource redefinition, (2) upstream mobilizing, (3) spatial interlinking, (4) insubordinative activism, (5) reciprocal mediatizing, (6) redistributive commodification, (7) disruptive incorporatizing, and (8) persistent emotionalizing. When activated, the rural foodscape becomes a site for integrative identity, where festivals have transformative power. Examples from the academic literature and practice sources illustrate the points. The article outlines implications for both further studies and rural policy-making.

Key words: Transformation; Festival; Servicescape; Processual direction; Rural policies

Telling The Story of a Sustainable Business Model in Arctic Luxury Food Tourism – 135
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932366

Giovanna Bertella

School of Business and Economics, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromso, Norway

Luxury gastronomy can be relevant to tourism in terms of sustainability. This study adopted the perspective of business models (BMs) as narratives to explore luxury gastronomy and sustainability in the case of a food project in Arctic Norway. This study focused on the story that drives, communicates, and legitimizes the project’s BM and its sustainability. The main findings suggest that the specific BM can be viewed as a story revolving around two interrelated major themes: sustainability as an integrated part of quality and luxury as time for inspiration and self-care, and as coherence (in experiential terms as well as in relation to sustainability commitment). The adoption of the perspective of BMs as narratives helped uncover the social dynamic dimension of the BM, which concerns the process through which businesses emerge from social interactions and, in the investigated case, is essentially an expression of a collective effort to include an element of innovativeness within a context that is otherwise rather static.

Key words: Luxury gastronomy; Sustainability; Business model; Narrative

US Residents’ Perception of Local and Global Wine Tourism Destinations – 149
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932384

Ady Milman, Asli D. A. Tasci, and Robin M. Back

Rosen College of Hospitality Management, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

Consumer perceptions of wine tourism destinations have been documented to be based on prior visitation, the reputation of the wine region, or the quality of its wines. This study assessed US consumers’ perceptions of wine destinations within the US and across the world that they may or may not have visited. A semistructured questionnaire that was designed and executed on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) generated 495 completed surveys. The findings revealed that the respondents’ most important criteria for judging a wine destination brand were the quality of wines, the taste of wines, and the reputation of wines. US respondents’ image of the wine regions in the US was better than those of the global wine regions. Winery and wine-related attributes were rated more highly than the attributes related to the destination’s attractions, local cuisine, or natural beauty. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

Key words: Wine tourism; Wine destination brand; Brand equity; Destination image; Florida wine

Street Food in Visual Media in Turkey: Food Mediatization in Tourism – 165
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932393

Rabia Nur Aksu* and Gül Yilmaz†

*Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, İstanbul Kent University, İstanbul, Turkey
†Gastronomy and Culinary Arts, İstanbul Topkapı University, İstanbul, Turkey

Visual media has played a significant role in driving various transformations since its inception. The media has often portrayed gastronomy as a visual spectacle, showcasing allure, a reassuring image, and authenticity. Countries endeavor to enhance their gastronomy tourism by not only presenting their human and natural assets but also highlighting their distinct food and beverage cultures through visual media. This study aims to analyze the depiction of street food in Turkey in both national and international visual media and to explore the extent to which the promotion of street cuisine has been leveraged within the context of gastronomy tourism. The study seeks to contribute to future efforts aimed at making street food a compelling attraction in Turkey’s gastronomy tourism. For this study, an extensive literature review was conducted and semiotic analysis was applied to visual media components. National and international productions featuring street food in Turkey were analyzed across 10 distinct categories. İstanbul emerged as the most prominently featured city in these productions. Furthermore, İstanbul’s multicultural nature and its history of migration from various regions allow it to reflect the culinary cultures of different parts of Turkey. Based on the findings within the scope of this study, the emotions, thoughts, and messages evoked by visual media materials depicting street food in Turkey can be summarized as follows: a sense of camaraderie, social engagement, delightful gastronomic experiences, intriguing encounters, a feeling of familial warmth and authenticity, nostalgia, a sense of belonging, cross-cultural interaction, and visually striking presentations.

Key words: Semiotics; Visual feast; Connotation; Literal meaning

Volume 7 Subject and Author Index

Food Involvement, Sustainable Practices, and Travel Intent: Moral Tensions? – 69
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932212

Richard N. S. Robinson,* Tommy D. Andersson,† Donald Getz,‡ Sanja Vujicic,§ and Michael Ottenbacher¶

*Business School, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Australia
†School of Business, Economics, and Law, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
‡Emeritus Professor, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
§Business & Strategy Advisor, WSP Sweden AB, Stockholm, Sweden
¶Faculty of International Business, Heilbronn University, Heilbronn, Germany

Considerable work has identified the characteristics and travel preferences of foodies. Many food tourists are seduced by high end indulgent activities, not necessarily aligned with sustainability objectives. In this article we ask: Are food tourists’ involvement levels and travel choices in accordance with sustainability objectives? In so doing we explore moral tensions. Using Swedish survey data incorporating a food involvement scale we capture domestic sustainability sensibilities and infer food involvement and travel intention implications. Results show a) strong linkages between domestic sustainability food practices and involvement and b) that those seeking novel and new food experiences are likely to travel. On the other hand, foodies that practice sustainability in their domestic life are less inclined to travel. Inherent to these findings is an identity tension between the hedonic epicure and the sustainable food-wise foodie. Theoretically, this suggests sustainability, in parallel with hedonism, is a sensitizing driver of involvement. Practically, the implications are that destinations post-COVID-19 will have to work harder on image enhancement campaigns targeting sustainably sensitive food tourists.

Key words: Food tourism; Sustainability; Involvement; Moral; Local consumption; Food waste

Gastronomy Tourism and the Revival of Italian Villages After the Pandemic – 85
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932221

Magda Antonioli Corigliano,* Sara Bricchi,* and Giorgia Bertoglio†

*Department of Social and Political Science, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy
†Independent Researcher, Milan, Italy

The effects of COVID-19 on tourism include a rapid growth of some consumption behavior trends, such as an urge for escapism, a desire to (re)discover minor and rural destinations, and a wish to live memorable moments. Moreover, literature and industry reports highlight the importance of contemporary demand for authenticity and experientiality. This work analyzes visitors’ perceptions once in the destination, focusing in particular on small villages’ gastronomic tourist offer. An exploratory study was conducted on tourists visiting Italian small villages of historical origin, the borghi, and nearby wine producers to record their perceptions and sense any significant difference. In-depth interviews were combined with participating observation to test elements from the literature on consumption behavior and identify a set of parameters, which could be applied in further studies. The results show that the borghi offer is perceived as authentic and not replicable, that wine- and food-related activities, often more direct and totalizing, helped the visitors to connect with the destination; thus, gastronomic tourism can represent a valuable asset in the sustainable development of the minor communities. Nevertheless, destination competitiveness is the result of an interplay of multiple factors and on top of the experiences offered (prerequisite of the tourist activity) additional aspects have to be considered in order to properly enhance small villages’ tourist offer.

Key words: Authenticity; Experience economy; Consumer behavior; Italian villages; New rural life

Food, Delicatessen, and Beverage Souvenir Shopping: The Role of Travel Experience, Trip Purpose, and Destination – 105
https://doi.org/10.3727/216929722X16354101932249

Erik Lundberg

Centre for Tourism, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

Shopping is an important activity of the tourist experience—for example, as a vehicle for sense making, status and identity building, and making connections to the local culture. Purchasing food and beverages as souvenirs to bring home has always been an important part of this activity. The aim of this article is to analyze the influence of destination image, tourists’ prior travel experience, and tourists’ trip purpose on tourists’ food, delicatessen, and beverage souvenir shopping. Tourists’ personal income is also included in the research model. This quantitative study examined 405 Swedish tourists traveling to the UK and Spain. Drawing on the sophistication process of tourists, research on destination image, travel motives, and trip purpose, the results show that the most important factors explaining food and beverage souvenir shopping while on vacation are tourists’ general travel experience and personal income. These findings both confirm and contradict previous research on tourists’ souvenir shopping.

Key words: Food souvenirs; Beverage souvenirs; Trip purpose; Destination image; Travel experience