This book fills a gap in the growing academic discipline of food and agricultural tourism, offering the first multidisciplinary approach to food tourism and the role it plays in economic development, destination marketing, and gastronomic exploration. It provides a comprehensive introduction to the discipline by considering food tourism in connection with both cultural values and important issues in agriculture, food consumption and safety, and rural heritage and sustainability. Complemented by a wide range of international case studies, key definitions and study questions, this is an essential reading for students of tourism, geography and economic development studies.

Susan L. Slocum is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Tourism and Event Management at George Mason University, Manassas, Virginia. Sue has worked on regional planning and development for 15 years and worked with rural communities in Tanzania, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her primary focus is on rural sustainable development, policy implementation, and food tourism, specifically working with small businesses and communities in less advantaged areas. Sue received her doctoral education from Clemson University and has worked at the University of Bedfordshire, UK, and Utah State University.

Kynda R. Curtis is a Professor and Extension Agriculture and Food Marketing Specialist in the Department of Applied Economics at Utah State University, Logan, Utah. She received her Ph.D. in Economics from Washington State University in 2003. Her research interests include international agriculture/food marketing, consumer demand for specialty foods, and behavioral economics. As an Extension Specialist, Dr. Curtis assists small-scale growers in developing new markets for their products and assessing the feasibility of new products and value-added processes. Dr. Curtis has received several awards including Extension group program awards from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) and the Western Agricultural Economics Association (WAEA) and the AAEA Presidential Recognition Award.

PART I

Food tourism and sustainable rural development

1 Tourism, agriculture, and rural economic development

2 Food tourism and sustainable communities

3 Food tourism offerings

PART II

Evolution of agriculture and importance of food in contemporary culture

4 Globalizing agriculture to feed the world

5 Rural landscapes, heritage, and economic development

6 Modern food movements

PART III

Food tourism markets and targeted destination design

7 Characterizing the food tourist

8 Identifying food tourism markets

9 Developing a food tourism destination

PART IV

Food tourism policy and practice

10 Food tourism policy and governance

11 Safety in food tourism operations

12 Devising the food tourism product