Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
by adding a sauce or dressing or simply developing a different processing
system that gives a visible point of difference to the visitor.
Offering a more convenient product
This can be as simple as providing meat in ready-to-eat packs or providing
'ready meals' using local produce that can be stored in the home fridge.
Food Tourism Challenges
While food tourism is primarily a rural-based tourist attraction, we also need
to discuss examples of urban food tourism. There is an increasingly popular
move to urban-based food tourism, but rural tourism has created its own
challenges.
Rural communities are often composed of three different residential groups.
1.
The first group, the original rural residents, often have not been exposed to
the consumer expectations of the visiting urban tourists and therefore some-
times fail to live up to the consumer's expectations. They may not have any
idea of what is expected by the modern tourist and this can often cause misun-
derstanding. This can be as basic as not providing complimentary Wi-Fi access.
2.
Urban-minded residents who have moved to a rural setting for a 'sea
change' or 'tree change' with the aim of getting away from city folks now
find that they need to generate an income. They have to develop a tourism
package for the people they tried to escape from, they are often not pas-
sionate about what they are doing as a source of income and many of these
businesses subsequently fail.
3.
There are indigenous groups in countries such as in Africa, Australasia,
the Americas and Europe who want to maintain their traditional culture and
some may be sceptical of modern-day tourists and their desires. Yet indi-
genous groups have a lot to offer tourists, especially when it comes to local
food knowledge. At the same time, culinary tourists are keen to engage with
them and learn their crafts and skills.
The above is apart from the normal challenges all businesses face in a chal-
lenging economic climate. Those challenges include obtaining finance from
banks that are often reluctant to invest in many projects, especially rural
non-traditional farming ones and developing a marketing strategy that in-
cludes online and offline marketing techniques that seem to change by the day.
Perception is Truth
One of the challenges of any business or individual is accepting that percep-
tion is truth. That is as true in food tourism as in any other industry.
Research carried out by Tourism Australia in 2012 and presented by
Simon Burley, Tourism WA at the FACET Conference in Manjimup, Western
Australia,
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highlights how perception can influence the thinking process.
