Henrik Halkier– Laura James – Producing food tourism in the north Strategies for developing synergies between food and tourism in four coastal destinations in Denmark Henrik Halkier, Aalborg University, Denmark Laura James, Stockholm University, Sweden

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – Producing food tourism in the north Strategies for developing synergies between food and tourism in four coastal destinations in Denmark 1.Food/ tourism synergies: From theory to practice 2.Research aims and methods 3.Local destination profiling: tourism and food 4.Perceived cross-sectoral challenges 5.Cross-sectoral strategies adopted 6.Policy challenges and food/tourism synergies

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 1. Food/ tourism synergies: From theory to practice Why food and tourism? Branding, boost local food production, extend tourist season From feeding tourists (industrialised, national distribution, pre-fab) To ‘Local’, artisan, traditional, quality, seasonality, experiences… Key challenges Cross-sectoral inter-firm collaboration: every-day practices Sectoral policy networks: path-dependent strategies Local contexts: different tourisms, foods and culinary traditions

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 2. Research design 1.Djursland 2.Odsherred 3.Blåvand/Henne 4.Svendborg/Thurø Aim Explore the relationship between local contexts and strategies for increasing synergies between local food and tourism Methods Resources: – Profiling of 4 coastal destinations – Tourism and local food Strategies: – Perceived challenges – Prevailing policy initiatives

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 3. Local destination profiling: tourism and food Local tourisms Coast and nature main local attractions, more/less togetherness Self-catering, domestic/neighbouring markets, families/couples Strong German presence (3) versus domestic dominance (1, 2, 4) Couples important (2), hotels important (4) Local foods One-third of food contact points have local dimension (all) – Producer shops, mid- to high-end eateries Very varying intensity of tourist exposure to local food experiences – Average 8-9 contact points per million visitor days (1, 2) – Low intensity (3) versus high intensity (4)

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 4. Perceived cross-sectoral challenges All om all: Good idea, some progress, coordination crucial, ‘someone’ (else) should act ProducersRetailers/eateries Too few producersStable supplies From producer to seller Price, quantity, delivery Brand exclusivityIntegrate in other experiences For well-off tourists? Flash-points for local food experiences 1.From farm shop to supplier 2.From one to more suppliers 3.How stable/local demand? 4.How exclusive experiences?

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – FoodTourism Firms Networks for mutual inspiration Business development Events Food trails Destination Local suply-chains (eateries >> supermarkets) Branding 5. Cross-sectoral strategies adopted Strategic challenges Only indirect focus on volume Limited focus on demand Limited focus on retail / self-catering Integration in wider brand/experiences? Overall: Sector-based initiatives, visible change

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 6. Policy challenges and food/tourism synergies Local contexts, local strategies ? Similar strategies despite different contexts National framing of policies (networks, promotion) Local path dependencies of policies (resources, competences) Future research Policy change over time (adaptation of national strategies) Institutionalisation of cross-sectoral networks International comparisons

Henrik Halkier– Laura James – 1.The presentation is based on research sponsored by the Danish Centre for Coastal Tourism. The initial Danish- language report is available on request. 2.Recently published article in English based on previous case studies in Denmark in European Urban and Regional Studies and More on food/tourism synergies