Food and Sustainable Tourism : A study of authenticity and organic food in a customer supply perspective

Abstract: The tourism industry has a large impact on the environment’s health and tourists’ behaviours as well as consumption attitudes have an important role. Tourists’ food decisions and engagements in sustainable food could encourage the tourism operators to improve their environmental burdens. This essay investigates the experience of organic food as a part of the sustainable development within the tourism industry. A dualistic authenticity framework has been applied and a method to measure and analyse perceived authenticity has been drawn from the literature. Questionnaires were handed out to the guests and the staff at two Swedish hotels. The results revealed that there are several dimensions in the meeting between the customers and the operators that arrange food experiences in touristic contexts. There is an interest for the question of organic food as a part of the environmental sustainable development, both relative to the contemporary tourism industry and for the future convention to a more sustainable development in the tourism industry. The results presented that organic food is experienced as a central concept that could be a part of and have an important role for the future sustainable development within the tourism industry. An important part of this is the importance to be aware of the meeting between the customers and the operators. Sweden has a potential to accomplish a more sustainable tourism industry in the future, but more research and educations with focus on the subject needs to be made.