Food, Culture and Tourism, the Catalyst for Sustainable Tourism: A Study of Himachal Pradesh Dr. Mathur Amit K*, Ms. Saini Shefali** *Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, India **Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Hotel Management, Punjabi University, Patiala, India Online published on 5 July, 2014. Abstract Despite its primary, vital function of satisfying physiological needs, food can be the key factor in the tourist industry by adding value to the image of a destination and by reinforcing the tourists’ experience in certain places. Research has shown that food is important to sustainable tourism on a number of levels. Firstly, it is argued that increasing tourist consumption of local foods can generate a multiplier effect that will benefit the local economy (Enteleca Research and Consultancy, 2001; Torres, 2002). Secondly, concerns about the environmental consequences of transporting food across the globe have led researchers to argue that “buying local” is vital if the tourism industry is to reduce its carbon footprint (Boniface, 2003; Mitchell & Hall, 2003). Thirdly, there is a growing recognition that tourism destinations throughout the world are competing with each other in a bid to attract visitors. Studies of the social significance of food and eating have mostly been left to social anthropologists and social historians. Local food can be an asset to integrated tourism development as a result of its ability to symbolise place and culture, provide a moral “feel-good” factor associated with its consumption and enable visitors to experience a sense of connection to their destination – both during and after their visit. Often it has not appeared as part of the cultural environment that is offered as a tourist package. If a culture is to prove sustainable in the face of tourism, then traditional and ethnic foods must be preserved along with other art forms. The present empirical research is aimed to explore the role of food, culture and tourism in sustaining the tourism of Himachal Pradesh. Top Keywords Food, Tourism, Himachal Pradesh, Culture and Sustainability. Top |