Tourism, Hospitality and Sustainable Development
The work of Exeter Food members on this theme encompasses research on individual practices and institutional initiatives, contemporary and historical, from the Southwest of England to the international scale.
Michael Winter and Tim Wilkinson have studied BioCultural Heritage Tourism in four English and French UNESCO Biosphere Regions, collaborating with environmental managers, businesses and inhabitants to increase the economic value of tourism based on these regions’ distinctive natural resources and cultural heritage while reducing its environmental impact.
Harry G West has conducted research in 13 countries in North America, Europe and Western Asia with a focus on how artisan food makers’ open workshops, agritourism sites, food fairs, food trails, food museums and other forms of gastronomic tourism have all contributed to cultural economy-led approaches to rural regional development. Joanne Connell, who is a Professor in Sustainability and Tourism, has also worked with artisan food makers, and has focused on food tourism.
Paul Cleave studies the evolving relationship between food and tourism historically, with a concentration on Devon in the 20th century, as well as British narratives of food and travel in Europe during the belle epoque. Associate Professor of German Ulrike Zitzlsperger’s interests in the culture of 20th century Berlin include the preponderance of edible souvenirs in hotels, museums and other heritage sites—whether regional food stuffs like gin and biscuits, or novelty items such as an “edible Berlin Wall”.
