Components and Management Approaches for Sustainable Community-Level Food Tourism: From Local Wisdom to Culturally Competitive Strategies
Keywords:
Food tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Community, Local Wisdom, Cultural CompetitivenessAbstract
This research aimed to (1) examine the components of community-level food tourism that support
sustainability, (2) investigate management approaches for community-level food tourism grounded in local wisdom, and (3) propose strategic directions for enhancing cultural competitiveness in the study area. A qualitative research design was employed, involving 43 key informants across six provinces with high food-tourism potential: Phetchaburi, Phuket, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, document analysis, and field observations. Thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) framework, emphasizing the extraction of themes from the experiences and perspectives of community stakeholders. The findings reveal four major thematic components and management approaches that support the sustainability of community-level food tourism: (1) policy and economic challenges, (2) the preservation of local food identity and community pride, (3) local collaboration and network development, and (4) resource management and promotional strategies. Synthesizing these results indicates that sustainable food tourism at the community level rests on the integration of three key dimensions: local food identity and wisdom, community-based management and sustainability, and experiential and digital marketing communication. With the active engagement of multiple stakeholders, the study recommends using this integrated framework as a basis for designing
policies and practical guidelines that preserve food-related cultural heritage, strengthen community economic resilience, and elevate local cuisine as a culturally competitive asset in both national and international tourism contexts.
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