Document Type
Dissertation
Rights
Available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike 4.0 International Licence
Disciplines
Interdisciplinary, 6.5 OTHER HUMANITIES
Abstract
This study’s aim is to investigate food offerings at visitor attractions in Ireland. Recent comments by Fáilte Ireland regarding food at visitor attractions has called on operators to localise their food offerings. A sample of eleven providers of food at visitor sites were invited to participate in qualitative interviews, to conceptualise their experiences with the provision of local food. The results showed that the sector had an overall interest in local food with most of the participants recognising that not enough emphasis was being placed on its promotion. The results of the study reveal that provision of local food provides meaningful connections with tourists through storytelling and place making. The participants also associated local food with continuity within a site, particularly within sites with multiple attractions. Providers found that it was important to support local producers, but faced challenges with supply chains, reliability, and price. The study concludes that overall, providers of food offerings at tourist sites do not recognise their roles as potential promoters of local food, and their power as agents within a national food tourism network is underestimated.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/xejp-3g02
Recommended Citation
O'Hora, K. (2021). Local Food in Tourism: An investigation into food offerings at Irish visitor attractions—Are we telling the right story? Masters Dissertation. Technological University Dublin. doi:10.21427/xejp-3g02
Publication Details
A thesis submitted to Technological University Dublin in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of Master of Arts in Gastronomy and Food Studies, June 2020.