Exploring the cultural anthropology of gastronomic tourism: Supply-side stakeholders' perspectives and experiences of Suzhou-style cakes

Abstract

This study adopts a cultural anthropology theoretical lens to explore the tourism experiences of Suzhou-style cakes from the perspective of supply-side stakeholders. A qualitative case study of Suzhou-style cakes was conducted, involving participant observation and semi-structured interviews with food producers, food retailers, restaurateurs, food consultants, tourism providers, tour organisers, and government officials in Suzhou, a heritage city in China. The findings reveal that Suzhou-style cakes connote a culturally bound identity at the personal level and a socially bound identity at the community level, whereas, at the regional level, they connote a geographically bound identity. These connotations form the basis for the touristic attractiveness of Suzhou-style cakes and their contribution to authentic experiences. As a result, gastronomic tourism is essentially about cultural anthropology by exploring a complex interweaving of gastronomy and cultural, social, and place identities through the practices of multiple stakeholders. This study adds to the literature by giving voice to supply-side stakeholders and by providing evidence to capture the richness of the relationships between the concepts of food, culture, identity, and place.