Challenges of strengthening food and tourism linkages: A comparative study of two Chinese towns

Background: Food is an essential tourism attraction and product while tourism development adds values to local food production and consumption. In this sense, strengthening food and tourism linkages holds great importance for the region. Research purpose and methods: This research explores challenges of strengthening food and tourism linkages, based on the author’s participant observation and interviews with food producers, tourism providers, and government officials from two regions – Dong Shan Town and Dian Shan Town in the city of Suzhou, China. Contextual information: Dong Shan Town is famous for its farm food products, especially its Biluochun Tea and loquats, and in recent years this town attempts to develop linkages with tourism industry to promote local farm food products, while Dian Shan Town is a tourism scenic town in which rice, corns, and yellow peaches are commercialized as important tourism attractions and products. Results: Findings reveal that both towns are challenged by technological issues, such as the lack of advanced agricultural facilities; tourism factors, including lacking the tourism planning; and political factors, for example, weak cooperation between the tourism department and the agriculture department. Differently, Dong Shan Town is more challenged by political factors (land policies and the policy of returning the fishing plots to lakes) and environmental factors (the rainy season). Challenges Dian Shan Town faces are mainly from economic factors, such as higher investments but lower yields, and social factors including the lack of young workers and brand awareness