From farm to fork: Is food tourism a sustainable form of economic development?
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Date
2020
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Publisher
Elservier
Abstract
Food tourism events have become a large focus for economic development in rural and
regional areas. Tourism has been a key driver of food festivals, where they play a role in
attracting visitors and generating expenditure in the local economy. While these types
of events are generally badged as enhancing sustainability, the criteria and tests for
these claims are rarely specified. In this paper we explore how the sustainability of
food tourism festivals can be considered and evaluated in economic terms, using a case
study of the Truffle Festival — Canberra Region in Australia. A zonal travel cost analysis
was conducted to measure consumer surplus, providing potential inputs into individual
economic welfare and public good evaluation tests. The results estimate that the event
generated consumer surpluses of $754/person and more than $8 million overall in 2016,
highlighting the importance of artisan food experiences for tourism events. To further
implement food experiences as an economic development strategy further consideration
and linkages with agriculture, environment and community are required to ensure they
are sustainable.
Description
Economic Analysis and Policy 66 (2020) 325–334
Keywords
Food event sustainability,Economic development,Festivals,Food tourism,Artisan agriculture