Rethinking the importance of food tourism to destination sustainability: A supply-side discussion of noodle experiences in Suzhou

Abstract

Food tourism arguably offers a means of supporting destination sustainability. This chapter critically examines the importance of food tourism to the destination of Suzhou, China, focusing on noodle-based tourism experiences. The analysis is based on a series of interviews with food suppliers and tourism providers, supplemented by secondary documents. Results suggest that local supply-side stakeholders have shared perceptions of the cultural significance of Suzhou noodles to local tourism experiences; however, there is a discrepancy between stakeholders regarding their economic importance. Though noodle tourism contributes financially to the Suzhou economy, this form of tourism benefits individual stakeholders to a lesser degree because of the challenges of protecting intellectual property rights and building networks with other tourist stakeholders. From these findings and discussions, a sociocultural lens is prioritised, and a call is made for further research to consider “who benefits and why” in future explorations of food tourism.