Food and the Tourism Experience
The OECD-Korea Workshop
Tourism is a major part of the contemporary experience economy, in which food plays an important role. Food is a key part of all cultures, a major element of global intangible heritage and an increasingly important attraction for tourists. The linkages between food and tourism also provide a platform for local economic development, which can be strengthened by the use of food experiences for branding and marketing destinations.
One of the major challenges in the experience economy is dealing with the shift towards intangible culture and heritage. The focus of many tourists has changed from the classic 'must see' physical sights such as museums and monuments towards a ‘must-experience’ imperative to consume intangible expressions of culture, such as atmosphere, creativity and lifestyle. This provides new opportunities for tourism destinations as well as new challenges, particularly in the areas of experience development, marketing and branding.
This publication provides an understanding of the role of food tourism in local economic development and its potential for country branding. It also presents several innovative case studies in the food tourism sector and the experience industry.
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Boosting food and tourism-related regional economic development
Intangible assets are fast becoming the basis for regional economic competiveness through tourism strategies. The question of who benefits should be fundamental in assessing regional economic development policies and strategies. In order to utilise food tourism as an economic development driver, it is important to encourage visitors to stop, spend and stay longer. Retaining visitor expenditure, developing networks with a host of regional stakeholders and the development of intellectual capital are important if food tourism is to be integrated within wider regional development strategies. However, the extent to which food producers become part of the business mix in tourism development initiatives depends on overall business goals, location and target markets.