Gastrocert: Gastronomy and Creative Entrepreneurship in Rural Tourism
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the Highlands and Islands
Department Name: West Highland College UHI
Abstract
Working in collaboration with partners in Spain, Sweden and Italy, the Gastrocert project will explore how the development of local gastronomy can help to protect rural heritage values, and how entrepreneurial culture can enhance locally produced food as a value-added touristic experience.
Sustainable landscape management in rural areas requires the creation of opportunities that treat landscapes in the context of their historical, cultural and social factors. The growing popularity of gastronomy efforts, as part of broader sustainable tourism development strategies, calls for study of the dynamics between 'heritage', 'tourism' and 'creative entrepreneurship'.
The objectives include understanding the important role that food plays in cultural identities and promotion of local and regional traditions. The project also emphasizes the significance of local knowledge, skills and practices regarding heritage assets and how experiential journeys through cultural landscapes promote gastronomic tourism.
The project will entail high-quality, interdisciplinary and collaborative research that will enhance our understanding of the vitally important role that food plays in cultural identities and the appreciation and promotion of local and regional traditions. Gastronomic heritages - and the associated issues of rural and regional development - are truly interdisciplinary subjects that require appreciation of history, art, landscapes, environmental conservation and social structures.
This project is designed to produce the following outcomes, which includes the direct transfer of study findings to SME's and policymakers:
? Reports on how local markets can be used to preserve and sustain local producers, while maintaining local identity.
? A blueprint for the development of regional gastronomic initiatives that involve SMEs, public bodies and destination marketing organisations.
? A toolkit on how SMEs can communicate the importance of landscapes and traditions through 'narratives'.
? Results synthesised into appropriate documentation and presented to policymakers, to develop a better understanding of how gastro-tourism can contribute to economic development and increased understanding and preservation of gastronomic cultural heritage.
Sustainable landscape management in rural areas requires the creation of opportunities that treat landscapes in the context of their historical, cultural and social factors. The growing popularity of gastronomy efforts, as part of broader sustainable tourism development strategies, calls for study of the dynamics between 'heritage', 'tourism' and 'creative entrepreneurship'.
The objectives include understanding the important role that food plays in cultural identities and promotion of local and regional traditions. The project also emphasizes the significance of local knowledge, skills and practices regarding heritage assets and how experiential journeys through cultural landscapes promote gastronomic tourism.
The project will entail high-quality, interdisciplinary and collaborative research that will enhance our understanding of the vitally important role that food plays in cultural identities and the appreciation and promotion of local and regional traditions. Gastronomic heritages - and the associated issues of rural and regional development - are truly interdisciplinary subjects that require appreciation of history, art, landscapes, environmental conservation and social structures.
This project is designed to produce the following outcomes, which includes the direct transfer of study findings to SME's and policymakers:
? Reports on how local markets can be used to preserve and sustain local producers, while maintaining local identity.
? A blueprint for the development of regional gastronomic initiatives that involve SMEs, public bodies and destination marketing organisations.
? A toolkit on how SMEs can communicate the importance of landscapes and traditions through 'narratives'.
? Results synthesised into appropriate documentation and presented to policymakers, to develop a better understanding of how gastro-tourism can contribute to economic development and increased understanding and preservation of gastronomic cultural heritage.
Planned Impact
With regards to the transfer of knowledge to SMEs, and communities, an understanding of the following general ideas will have utility and value for entrepreneurial and community development and regional policy development:
? Measures to best preserve/protect local gastronomic heritage and distinction.
? What is unique/important about local/regional gastronomy and how it can contribute to sustainable community/tourism development, promoting the local area as a gastronomic destination.
? The realization of how food heritage, through narratives about the gastronomic 'journey', from the sea or land to the consumer, can create memorable, and saleable, touristic experiences.
The high-value, trans-national tools that the project partners will disseminate to SMEs in the short- to medium-term will include:
? A report on how gastronomy can be linked effectively to the wider landscape in the development of individual and clustered packages of gastronomic experiences.
? A toolkit on how SMEs, and other players, can a) communicate the importance of landscapes and traditions through 'narratives', b) create more effective and interactive media for educating and informing the local public, and c) create better promotional materials.
? A written report of gastronomic businesses can develop and use cultural e-itineraries that aid the promotion of regional gastronomic products and engender greater understanding of its role in the preservation of traditions.
? A blueprint for the development of regional gastronomic initiatives that involve SMEs, public bodies and destination marketing organisations, for example, in the development of engaging and inspiring campaigns that foster sustainable community and tourism development.
? A report on how regional and local markets can be used to preserve and sustain local producers, through increased tourism activity, while maintaining local identity, including examples of event, such as children's cooking courses and tasting demonstrations. Allied to this would be a better understanding of how to strengthen 'regional identity' through greater knowledge of gastronomic culture as community food experiences.
In terms of influencing policy makers, the results of each regional case study, the literature review and trans-national exchange of case study findings and regional good practice will enable each partner to have a better understanding of how gastro-tourism can contribute to economic development, through increased tourism and sustainable agro-food businesses, and increased knowledge and understanding of gastronomic cultural heritage. At the regional level these results will be synthesised into appropriate documentation and presented directly to appropriate regional and national policymakers. The aim is to work with these organisations to ensure that there is greater recognition, and greater account is taken, of this sector, and these aforementioned businesses, in strategic decisions and policy documents and through appropriate levels of support, in both financial terms and through marketing for example.
? Measures to best preserve/protect local gastronomic heritage and distinction.
? What is unique/important about local/regional gastronomy and how it can contribute to sustainable community/tourism development, promoting the local area as a gastronomic destination.
? The realization of how food heritage, through narratives about the gastronomic 'journey', from the sea or land to the consumer, can create memorable, and saleable, touristic experiences.
The high-value, trans-national tools that the project partners will disseminate to SMEs in the short- to medium-term will include:
? A report on how gastronomy can be linked effectively to the wider landscape in the development of individual and clustered packages of gastronomic experiences.
? A toolkit on how SMEs, and other players, can a) communicate the importance of landscapes and traditions through 'narratives', b) create more effective and interactive media for educating and informing the local public, and c) create better promotional materials.
? A written report of gastronomic businesses can develop and use cultural e-itineraries that aid the promotion of regional gastronomic products and engender greater understanding of its role in the preservation of traditions.
? A blueprint for the development of regional gastronomic initiatives that involve SMEs, public bodies and destination marketing organisations, for example, in the development of engaging and inspiring campaigns that foster sustainable community and tourism development.
? A report on how regional and local markets can be used to preserve and sustain local producers, through increased tourism activity, while maintaining local identity, including examples of event, such as children's cooking courses and tasting demonstrations. Allied to this would be a better understanding of how to strengthen 'regional identity' through greater knowledge of gastronomic culture as community food experiences.
In terms of influencing policy makers, the results of each regional case study, the literature review and trans-national exchange of case study findings and regional good practice will enable each partner to have a better understanding of how gastro-tourism can contribute to economic development, through increased tourism and sustainable agro-food businesses, and increased knowledge and understanding of gastronomic cultural heritage. At the regional level these results will be synthesised into appropriate documentation and presented directly to appropriate regional and national policymakers. The aim is to work with these organisations to ensure that there is greater recognition, and greater account is taken, of this sector, and these aforementioned businesses, in strategic decisions and policy documents and through appropriate levels of support, in both financial terms and through marketing for example.
People |
ORCID iD |
Peter Varley (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
De Jong A
(2017)
Food and drink tourism: principles and perspectives
in Tourism Planning & Development
De Jong A
(2017)
Foraging tourism: critical moments in sustainable consumption
in Journal of Sustainable Tourism
De Jong A
(2017)
Food tourism policy: Deconstructing boundaries of taste and class
in Tourism Management
De Jong A
(2017)
Food tourism policy: Deconstructing boundaries of taste and class
in Tourism Management
Description | Sustainable landscape management in rural areas requires the creation of opportunities that treat landscapes in the context of their historical, cultural and social factors. The growing popularity of gastronomy efforts, as part of broader sustainable tourism development strategies, calls for study of the dynamics between 'heritage', 'tourism' and 'creative entrepreneurship'. The project examines how the promotion of regional gastronomy can enhance the sustainability of local/regional food systems and support the building of stronger regions and regional identities in rural areas through localized food production. |
Exploitation Route | Findings may assist in making a stronger case for supporting creative entrepreneurship in rural areas, and the important role local knowledge and skills play in constructing understandings of cultural heritage within touristic contexts. |
Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Description | Collaboration with Road to the Isles Marketing Organisation (RTTI) in establishment of Autumn Food Festival. Assistance with grant writing process - RTTI were successful in receiving funding from Community Food Fund. The festival is now planned to go ahead. |
First Year Of Impact | 2015 |
Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | UHI SILK (Society, Identity, Landscape and Knowledge) Research Cluster |
Organisation | University of the Highlands and Islands |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | - Contribution in the re-validation of Sustainability Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands. |
Collaborator Contribution | - Re-validation of Sustainability Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands. - Establishment of a funded PhD scholarship - through the Carnegie Collaborative Awards. Both contributions encourage collaboration across both the University and disciplines, which is an essential process given UHI campuses are located across Scotland. |
Impact | - Establishment of a funded PhD scholarship - through the Carnegie Collaborative Awards. |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Attendance at Connect Lochaber - Tourism Summit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | - Workshop provided opportunity for key tourism practitioners to voice ideas, concerns and actions regarding the future of tourism in Lochaber region. - Provided opportunity to share ideas and debates, which have continued following the workshop. - Raised profile of Gastrocert project - initiated a number of productive contacts. - Discussion informed 2016 tourism strategy for the Lochaber Chamber of Commerce. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.lochaberchamber.co.uk/events/connect-lochaber-tourism-summit/ |
Description | Attendance at Lochaber Ideas Week |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | - Event attendance generated discussion and stronger relationships with tourism practitioners and community members. - Fieldwork opportunities arose through the networking which took place during workshops. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://www.lochaberchamber.co.uk/partners/lochaber-ideas-week-2015/ |
Description | Chaired Session: Rural Landscapes of Food and Heritage: Examining the Potentials of Gastronomy Tourism in Sustaining Rural Landscapes at The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscape, Institute for the Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Science, Innsbruck and Seefeld. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | September 2016, de Jong, A. & Sjolander-Lindqvist, A., Rural Landscapes of Food and Heritage: Examining the Potentials of Gastronomy Tourism in Sustaining Rural Landscapes at The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscape, Institute for the Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Science, Innsbruck and Seefeld. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Conference Presentation: July 2016, Contested Scottish Foodscapes: Class Based Moral Judgements and Desires for the Strange at Leisure Studies Association Conference, John Moores University, Liverpool. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Anna de Jong - conference presentation. July 2016, Contested Scottish Foodscapes: Class Based Moral Judgements and Desires for the Strange at Leisure Studies Association Conference, John Moores University, Liverpool. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Conference presentation: Negotiating Sustainability: The Potentials of Local Food Promotion through Tourism at The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscape, Institute for the Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Science, Innsbruck and Seefeld. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Anna de Jong - conference presentation - September 2016, Negotiating Sustainability: The Potentials of Local Food Promotion through Tourism at The Permanent European Conference for the Study of the Rural Landscape, Institute for the Interdisciplinary Mountain Research of the Austrian Academy of Science, Innsbruck and Seefeld. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Creation of project Facebook page |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - Ongoing utilization of a Facebook page provides a space to engage with publics and easily share project related information. - Enables accessible ongoing dialogue with broader publics and potential participants. - Encouraged individuals to engage with project team in ways that have generated fieldwork opportunities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/gastrocert/?_rdr=p |
Description | Road to the Isles Marketing Organisation working group participation for Autumn Food Festival |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | - Decisions determined regarding the implementation of the Autumn Food Festival - including stall holder involvement, even program, attendance issues, publicity etc. - Action of working group was to assist marketing organisation in undertaking market research with food businesses, to determine what foods can and cannot be purchased locally. An action beneficial to both the marketing organisation and the Gastrocert project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/Road-to-the-Isles-Food-and-Drink-Festival-1651860035102077/ |
Description | Taste the Wild: West Highland Food Festival - implementation 10 September 2016 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Working in collaboration with Highland hospitality businesses, a local food festival was implemented on Scotland's West Coast. The festival aims to create stronger linkages between producers, hospitality providers, community and visitors to the area. The Gastrocert team was involved in all aspects of the festival, including networking, marketing, project development, implementation and so on. Data was captured during the festival, to use in evaluating the role of the festival in facilitating rural development. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/tastethewild2016/?fref=ts |
Description | UHI Research Review Article |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | - Article motivated individuals to contact the research team to share ideas and discuss potential collaborations. - Following report received increase in contact and discussion regarding project. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |