Josefine Östrup Backe

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Enacting 'the local' in culinary tourism

This thesis studies how culinary tourism is enacted as an economic, social, and cultural activity, through the notion of “the local”. Culinary experiences and activities with elements of “the local” are a growing niche, which mirrors the need for destinations to stand out, as well as the trend of knowing where the food originates, and that it has been grown, produced, and transported in an ecologically, socially and culturally sustainable way. To the culinary actors, the notion of “the local” seems to be something that connects the common interests and desires to offer unique and attractive food experiences. Departing from national, regional and local community culinary actors, this thesis examines how the local is framed, organised and performed as a combination of concrete acts and more abstract elements (such as providing food products, brochures and political documents, and emphasising traditions, origin or negotiating what or who is local). The thesis contributes to understanding the processes that take place in the planning and performance of tourism experiences and activities, as well as the complexities attached therein. This is Josefine Østrup Backe’s doctoral thesis.