Producing food tourism in the north Strategies for

Producing food tourism in the north Strategies for developing synergies between food and tourism in four coastal destinations in Denmark Henrik Halkier, Aalborg University, Denmark Laura James, Stockholm University, Sweden Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

Producing food tourism in the north Strategies for developing synergies between food and tourism in four coastal destinations in Denmark 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Food/ tourism synergies: From theory to practice Research aims and methods Local destination profiling: tourism and food Perceived cross-sectoral challenges Cross-sectoral strategies adopted Policy challenges and food/tourism synergies Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

1. Food/ tourism synergies: From theory to practice Why food and tourism? • Branding, boost local food production, extend tourist season • From feeding tourists (industrialised, national distribution, pre-fab) • To ‘Local’, artisan, traditional, quality, seasonality, experiences… Key challenges • Cross-sectoral inter-firm collaboration: every-day practices • Sectoral policy networks: path-dependent strategies • Local contexts: different tourisms, foods and culinary traditions Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

2. Research design Aim Explore the relationship between local contexts and strategies for increasing synergies between local food and tourism 1 2 Methods 3 • Resources: 4 – Profiling of 4 coastal destinations – Tourism and local food • Strategies: – Perceived challenges – Prevailing policy initiatives Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se 1. 2. 3. 4. Djursland Odsherred Blåvand/Henne Svendborg/Thurø

3. Local destination profiling: tourism and food Local tourisms • • Coast and nature main local attractions, more/less togetherness Self-catering, domestic/neighbouring markets, families/couples Strong German presence (3) versus domestic dominance (1, 2, 4) Couples important (2), hotels important (4) Local foods • One-third of food contact points have local dimension (all) – Producer shops, mid- to high-end eateries • Very varying intensity of tourist exposure to local food experiences – Average 8 -9 contact points per million visitor days (1, 2) – Low intensity (3) versus high intensity (4) Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

4. Perceived cross-sectoral challenges Producers Retailers/eateries Too few producers Stable supplies From producer to seller Price, quantity, delivery Brand exclusivity Integrate in other experiences For well-off tourists? Flash-points for local food experiences 1. From farm shop to supplier 2. From one to more suppliers 3. How stable/local demand? 4. How exclusive experiences? All om all: Good idea, some progress, coordination crucial, ‘someone’ (else) should act Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

5. Cross-sectoral strategies adopted Food Firms Tourism Networks for mutual inspiration Events Business development Food trails Destination Local suply-chains (eateries >> supermarkets) Overall: Sector-based initiatives, visible change Branding Strategic challenges • Only indirect focus on volume • Limited focus on demand • Limited focus on retail / self-catering • Integration in wider brand/experiences? Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

6. Policy challenges and food/tourism synergies Local contexts, local strategies ? • Similar strategies despite different contexts • National framing of policies (networks, promotion) • Local path dependencies of policies (resources, competences) Future research • Policy change over time (adaptation of national strategies) • Institutionalisation of cross-sectoral networks • International comparisons Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se

More on food/tourism synergies 1. The presentation is based on research sponsored by the Danish Centre for Coastal Tourism. The initial Danishlanguage report is available on request. 2. Recently published article in English based on previous case studies in Denmark in European Urban and Regional Studies 3. halkier@cgs. aau. dk and laura. james@humangeo. su. se Henrik Halkier– halkier@cgs. aau. dk Laura James – laura. james@humangeo. su. se