Research Article
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Insight from Insiders: A Phenomenological Study for Exploring Food Tourism Policy in Ireland 2009-2019

Year 2019, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 188 - 215, 16.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.574519

Abstract

This paper focuses on how the phenomenon of food
tourism developed in Ireland between 2009 and 2019. Employing a
phenomenological epistemology, a qualitative methodology was adopted to explore
key stakeholder’s lived experience of the Irish government’s approach to food
tourism, identifying the primary drivers and key moments during the ten-year
period. Extant literature was reviewed and critically evaluated. Using
purposive sampling, and employing an emic posture, ten semi-structured
interviews were conducted with senior governmental and tourism industry figures
until saturation occurred. The findings highlight the influence that key policy
makers, the formation of networks, clusters, and the role social entrepreneurs
had on developing food tourism in Ireland. The influence of the economic
downturn in 2008 was a force for change and creativity among both government
agencies and the broader tourism and hospitality industry. Food tourism policy
was aligned with broader government policy, the creation of regional tourism
brands (Wild Atlantic Way etc.), linking gastronomy with cultural and other
tourism initiatives and marketing strategies. Whereas food in tourism in
Ireland is well established, only ten per cent of overseas visitors are
travelling specifically for food experiences.

Thanks

The authors would like to thank the interviewees for their time, and to colleagues in TU Dublin who have read and commented on early versions of the text.

References

  • Allen, H., & Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2017). Secrets of a head chef: Exploring factors influencing success in Irish kitchens. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 15(3), 187-222.
  • Björk, P., & Kauppinen-Räisänen, H. (2014). Culinary-gastronomic tourism–a search for local food experiences. Nutrition & Food Science, 44(4), 294- 309.
  • Boyd, S. (2015). The ‘past’ and ‘present’ of food tourism. In I. Yeoman, U. McMahon-Beatie, K. Fields,J. N. Albrecht, & K. Meethan (Eds.), The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital (pp. 11-22). Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
  • Carruthers, C., Burns, A., & Elliot, G. (2015). Gastronomic tourism: Development, sustainability and applications – a case study of County Cork, Republic of Ireland. In P. Sloan, W. Legrand, & C. Hindley (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food and Gastronomy (pp. 360-369). London: Routledge.
  • Cohen, E. (1985). The tourist guide: The origins, structure, and dynamics of a role. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 5-29.
  • De Esteban, J., Cetin, G., & Antonovica, A. (2015). Theory of knowledge of tourism: A sociological and epistemological reflection. Journal of Tourismology, 1(1), 2-15.
  • Deleuze, M. (2014). A new craze for food: Why is Ireland turning into a foodie nation? In M. Mac Con Iomaire & E. Maher (Eds.), Tickling the Palate: Gastronomy in Irish Literature and Culture (pp. 143-158). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Denscombe, M. (2003). The good research guide: For small-scale social research projects (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
  • Ellis, A., Park, E., Kim, S., & Yeoman, I. (2018). Progress in tourism management, what is food tourism? Tourism Management, 68, 250-263.
  • Everett, S. (2016). Food & Drink Tourism. Principles and Practice. London: Sage Publications.
  • Fáilte Ireland (2011). National Food Tourism Implementation Framework 2011-2013. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/3_Research_Insights/1_Sectoral_SurveysReports/FoodTourismImplementationFramework.pdf?ext=.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2014). Enhancing Irish Food Experiences - The Way Forward: Food Tourism Activity Plan 2014-2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/2_Develop_Your_Business/3_Marketing_Toolkit/6_Food_Tourism/Food-Tourism-Activity-Plan-2014-2016.pdf?ext=.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2018). Food and Drink Strategy 2018-2023. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Pub lications/FI-Food-Strategy-Document.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2019). Taste the Island: A Celebration of Ireland’s Food and Drink - A guide for the delivery of world-class food and drink experiences. Retrieved May 28, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/4_Corporate_Documents/Corporate_Guides/6396_FAI_TTI_Toolkit_Online_20190501_SH-FINAL(1).pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/Footer/What-We-Do/Our-History.aspx
  • Getz, D., Robinson. R., Andersson, T., & Vujicic, S. (2014). Foodies and food tourism. Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers.
  • Gill, M. J. (2014). The possibilities of phenomenology for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 17(2), 118-137.
  • Given, L. M. (2008). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research. London: SAGE.
  • Hall, C. M., & Gossling, S. (Eds.) (2016). Food Tourism and Regional Development. Networks, Products and Trajectories. Abingdon: Routledge.
  • Hall, C. M., & Sharples, L. (2003). The consumption of experiences or the experience of consumption? An introduction to the tourism of taste. In C. M. Hall, L. Sharples, R. Mitchell, N. Macionis, & B. Cambourne (Eds.), Food Tourism Around the World (pp. 1-24). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Healy, J. J., & Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2019). Calculating restaurant failure rates using longitudinal census data. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 17(4), 350-372.
  • Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time. London: SCM Press.
  • Henderson, J. C. (2009). Food tourism reviewed. British Food Journal, 111(4), 317-326.
  • Hillman, W., & Radel, K. (Eds.). (2018). Qualitative Methods in Tourism Research. Theory and Practice. Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Hjalager, A. M., & Richards, G. (Eds.). (2003). Tourism and gastronomy. London: Routledge.
  • Jackson, C., Vaughan, D.R., & Brown, L. (2018). Discovering lived experiences through descriptive phenomenology. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(11), 3309-3325.
  • Kachniewska, M. (2013). Towards the definition of a tourism cluster. Journal of entrepreneurship, management and innovation, 9(1), 33-56.
  • Kivela, J., & Crotts, J. C. (2006). Tourism and gastronomy: Gastronomy's influence on how tourists experience a destination. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 30(3), 354-377.
  • Long, L. (Ed.). (2004). Culinary Tourism. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2011). Ireland. In K. Albala (Ed.), Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia (pp. 197-205). Westport: ABC-CLIO.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2013). Public dining in Dublin: The history and evolution of gastronomy and commercial dining 1700‐1900. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(2), 227-246.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2015). Haute cuisine restaurants in nineteenth and twentieth century Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 115C, 371-403. DOI: 10.3318/PRIAC.2015.115.06
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2016). Food on the Edge: The future of food is a sustainable future. Research in Hospitality Management, 6, 107-111.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2018a). Recognizing food as part of Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage. Folk Life: Journal of Ethnological Studies, 61(2), 93-115.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2018b). Contextualizing the Irish food renaissance. The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 41, 58-73.
  • May, T. (1999). Reflexivity and sociological practice. Sociological Research Online, 4(3), 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.327
  • Mottiar, Z. (2016). Exploring the motivations of tourism social entrepreneurs: The role of a national tourism policy as a motivator for social entrepreneurial activity in Ireland. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(6), 1137-1154.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2009). Making the Case for a Viable, Sustainable Gastronomic Tourism Industry in Ireland. Masters’ dissertation, University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2014). Transforming Ireland through Gastronomic Nationalism. In M. Mac Con Iomaire & E. Maher (Eds.), Tickling the Palate: Gastronomy in Irish Literature and Culture (pp. 159-174). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2015). Future consumption: Gastronomy and public policy. In I. Yeoman, U. McMahon-Beatie, K. Fields, J. N. Albrecht, & K. Meethan (Eds.), The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital (pp. 75-86). Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2017). Food (in) tourism is important, or is it? In F. Healy & B. Bastiat (Eds.), Voyages between France and Ireland: Culture, Tourism, and Sport (pp. 179-195). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2019a). Building a Tourism Destination Using Gastronomy through Creative Collaboration. In S. K. Dixit (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (pp. 47-54). London: Routledge.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2019b). Historical Evaluation of Gastronomic Tourism. In S. K. Dixit (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (pp. 24-31). London: Routledge.
  • O’Brien, A. (2012). Wasting a good crisis: Developmental Failure in Irish Tourism Since 2008. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 1138-1155.
  • Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (2015). The Rise of Food Tourism: Special SKIFT Report. Startup Turismo. Retrieved April 15, 2019, from https://www.startup-turismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/The-Rise-of-Culinary-Tourism-2.pdf
  • Pernecky, T., & Jamal, T. (2010). (Hermeneutic) Phenomenology in tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(4), 1055-1075.
  • Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard business review, 76, 97-105.
  • Quan, S., & Wang, N. (2004). Towards a structural model of the tourist experience: An illustration from food experiences in tourism. Tourism management, 25(3), 297-305.
  • Robinson, R. N. S., Solnet, D. J., & Breakey, N. (2014). A phenomenological approach to hospitality management research: Chefs’ occupational commitment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 43, 65-75.
  • Smith, J. A. (1996). Beyond the divide between cognition and discourse: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis in health psychology. Psychology & Health, 11(2), 261-271.
  • Tannahill, R. (1991). Food in History (2nd Edition). London: Penguin.
  • UNWTO (2012). Global Report on Food Tourism. Madrid: UNWTO.
  • Whitebarn Consulting (2019). The social value of CLG Na Fianna: A demonstration study, undertaken by Whitebarn Consulting on behalf of the Dublin GAA County Board. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2019/05/na-fianna-social-value-report.pdf
  • Wilson, C. (2000). Policy regimes and policy change. Journal of Public Policy, 20(3), 247–274.
  • Yeoman, I., McMahon-Beattie, U., Fields, K., & Meethan, K. (Eds.). (2015). The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital. Bristol: Channel View Publications.
Year 2019, Volume: 7 Issue: 2, 188 - 215, 16.12.2019
https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.574519

Abstract

References

  • Allen, H., & Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2017). Secrets of a head chef: Exploring factors influencing success in Irish kitchens. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 15(3), 187-222.
  • Björk, P., & Kauppinen-Räisänen, H. (2014). Culinary-gastronomic tourism–a search for local food experiences. Nutrition & Food Science, 44(4), 294- 309.
  • Boyd, S. (2015). The ‘past’ and ‘present’ of food tourism. In I. Yeoman, U. McMahon-Beatie, K. Fields,J. N. Albrecht, & K. Meethan (Eds.), The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital (pp. 11-22). Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101.
  • Carruthers, C., Burns, A., & Elliot, G. (2015). Gastronomic tourism: Development, sustainability and applications – a case study of County Cork, Republic of Ireland. In P. Sloan, W. Legrand, & C. Hindley (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Food and Gastronomy (pp. 360-369). London: Routledge.
  • Cohen, E. (1985). The tourist guide: The origins, structure, and dynamics of a role. Annals of Tourism Research, 12(1), 5-29.
  • De Esteban, J., Cetin, G., & Antonovica, A. (2015). Theory of knowledge of tourism: A sociological and epistemological reflection. Journal of Tourismology, 1(1), 2-15.
  • Deleuze, M. (2014). A new craze for food: Why is Ireland turning into a foodie nation? In M. Mac Con Iomaire & E. Maher (Eds.), Tickling the Palate: Gastronomy in Irish Literature and Culture (pp. 143-158). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Denscombe, M. (2003). The good research guide: For small-scale social research projects (2nd ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press.
  • Ellis, A., Park, E., Kim, S., & Yeoman, I. (2018). Progress in tourism management, what is food tourism? Tourism Management, 68, 250-263.
  • Everett, S. (2016). Food & Drink Tourism. Principles and Practice. London: Sage Publications.
  • Fáilte Ireland (2011). National Food Tourism Implementation Framework 2011-2013. Retrieved April 3, 2018, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/3_Research_Insights/1_Sectoral_SurveysReports/FoodTourismImplementationFramework.pdf?ext=.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2014). Enhancing Irish Food Experiences - The Way Forward: Food Tourism Activity Plan 2014-2016. Retrieved March 28, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/2_Develop_Your_Business/3_Marketing_Toolkit/6_Food_Tourism/Food-Tourism-Activity-Plan-2014-2016.pdf?ext=.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2018). Food and Drink Strategy 2018-2023. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/Pub lications/FI-Food-Strategy-Document.pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland (2019). Taste the Island: A Celebration of Ireland’s Food and Drink - A guide for the delivery of world-class food and drink experiences. Retrieved May 28, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/FailteIreland/media/WebsiteStructure/Documents/4_Corporate_Documents/Corporate_Guides/6396_FAI_TTI_Toolkit_Online_20190501_SH-FINAL(1).pdf
  • Fáilte Ireland. (n.d.). Our History. Retrieved May 26, 2019, from http://www.failteireland.ie/Footer/What-We-Do/Our-History.aspx
  • Getz, D., Robinson. R., Andersson, T., & Vujicic, S. (2014). Foodies and food tourism. Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers.
  • Gill, M. J. (2014). The possibilities of phenomenology for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 17(2), 118-137.
  • Given, L. M. (2008). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research. London: SAGE.
  • Hall, C. M., & Gossling, S. (Eds.) (2016). Food Tourism and Regional Development. Networks, Products and Trajectories. Abingdon: Routledge.
  • Hall, C. M., & Sharples, L. (2003). The consumption of experiences or the experience of consumption? An introduction to the tourism of taste. In C. M. Hall, L. Sharples, R. Mitchell, N. Macionis, & B. Cambourne (Eds.), Food Tourism Around the World (pp. 1-24). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
  • Healy, J. J., & Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2019). Calculating restaurant failure rates using longitudinal census data. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 17(4), 350-372.
  • Heidegger, M. (1962). Being and Time. London: SCM Press.
  • Henderson, J. C. (2009). Food tourism reviewed. British Food Journal, 111(4), 317-326.
  • Hillman, W., & Radel, K. (Eds.). (2018). Qualitative Methods in Tourism Research. Theory and Practice. Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Hjalager, A. M., & Richards, G. (Eds.). (2003). Tourism and gastronomy. London: Routledge.
  • Jackson, C., Vaughan, D.R., & Brown, L. (2018). Discovering lived experiences through descriptive phenomenology. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(11), 3309-3325.
  • Kachniewska, M. (2013). Towards the definition of a tourism cluster. Journal of entrepreneurship, management and innovation, 9(1), 33-56.
  • Kivela, J., & Crotts, J. C. (2006). Tourism and gastronomy: Gastronomy's influence on how tourists experience a destination. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 30(3), 354-377.
  • Long, L. (Ed.). (2004). Culinary Tourism. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2011). Ireland. In K. Albala (Ed.), Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia (pp. 197-205). Westport: ABC-CLIO.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2013). Public dining in Dublin: The history and evolution of gastronomy and commercial dining 1700‐1900. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(2), 227-246.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2015). Haute cuisine restaurants in nineteenth and twentieth century Ireland. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, 115C, 371-403. DOI: 10.3318/PRIAC.2015.115.06
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2016). Food on the Edge: The future of food is a sustainable future. Research in Hospitality Management, 6, 107-111.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2018a). Recognizing food as part of Ireland’s intangible cultural heritage. Folk Life: Journal of Ethnological Studies, 61(2), 93-115.
  • Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2018b). Contextualizing the Irish food renaissance. The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies, 41, 58-73.
  • May, T. (1999). Reflexivity and sociological practice. Sociological Research Online, 4(3), 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5153/sro.327
  • Mottiar, Z. (2016). Exploring the motivations of tourism social entrepreneurs: The role of a national tourism policy as a motivator for social entrepreneurial activity in Ireland. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(6), 1137-1154.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2009). Making the Case for a Viable, Sustainable Gastronomic Tourism Industry in Ireland. Masters’ dissertation, University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2014). Transforming Ireland through Gastronomic Nationalism. In M. Mac Con Iomaire & E. Maher (Eds.), Tickling the Palate: Gastronomy in Irish Literature and Culture (pp. 159-174). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2015). Future consumption: Gastronomy and public policy. In I. Yeoman, U. McMahon-Beatie, K. Fields, J. N. Albrecht, & K. Meethan (Eds.), The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital (pp. 75-86). Bristol: Channel View Publications.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2017). Food (in) tourism is important, or is it? In F. Healy & B. Bastiat (Eds.), Voyages between France and Ireland: Culture, Tourism, and Sport (pp. 179-195). Bern: Peter Lang.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2019a). Building a Tourism Destination Using Gastronomy through Creative Collaboration. In S. K. Dixit (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (pp. 47-54). London: Routledge.
  • Mulcahy, J. D. (2019b). Historical Evaluation of Gastronomic Tourism. In S. K. Dixit (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Gastronomic Tourism (pp. 24-31). London: Routledge.
  • O’Brien, A. (2012). Wasting a good crisis: Developmental Failure in Irish Tourism Since 2008. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(2), 1138-1155.
  • Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance (2015). The Rise of Food Tourism: Special SKIFT Report. Startup Turismo. Retrieved April 15, 2019, from https://www.startup-turismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/The-Rise-of-Culinary-Tourism-2.pdf
  • Pernecky, T., & Jamal, T. (2010). (Hermeneutic) Phenomenology in tourism studies. Annals of Tourism Research, 37(4), 1055-1075.
  • Pine, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998). Welcome to the experience economy. Harvard business review, 76, 97-105.
  • Quan, S., & Wang, N. (2004). Towards a structural model of the tourist experience: An illustration from food experiences in tourism. Tourism management, 25(3), 297-305.
  • Robinson, R. N. S., Solnet, D. J., & Breakey, N. (2014). A phenomenological approach to hospitality management research: Chefs’ occupational commitment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 43, 65-75.
  • Smith, J. A. (1996). Beyond the divide between cognition and discourse: Using interpretative phenomenological analysis in health psychology. Psychology & Health, 11(2), 261-271.
  • Tannahill, R. (1991). Food in History (2nd Edition). London: Penguin.
  • UNWTO (2012). Global Report on Food Tourism. Madrid: UNWTO.
  • Whitebarn Consulting (2019). The social value of CLG Na Fianna: A demonstration study, undertaken by Whitebarn Consulting on behalf of the Dublin GAA County Board. Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://static.rasset.ie/documents/news/2019/05/na-fianna-social-value-report.pdf
  • Wilson, C. (2000). Policy regimes and policy change. Journal of Public Policy, 20(3), 247–274.
  • Yeoman, I., McMahon-Beattie, U., Fields, K., & Meethan, K. (Eds.). (2015). The future of food tourism: Foodies, experiences, exclusivity, visions and political capital. Bristol: Channel View Publications.
There are 56 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Tourism (Other)
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Ketty Quigley This is me 0000-0001-6311-9496

Margaret Connolly This is me 0000-0002-2674-5559

Elaine Mahon This is me 0000-0002-9406-6777

Máirtín Mac Con Iomaire 0000-0001-6622-3299

Publication Date December 16, 2019
Submission Date June 10, 2019
Published in Issue Year 2019 Volume: 7 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Quigley, K., Connolly, M., Mahon, E., Mac Con Iomaire, M. (2019). Insight from Insiders: A Phenomenological Study for Exploring Food Tourism Policy in Ireland 2009-2019. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research (AHTR), 7(2), 188-215. https://doi.org/10.30519/ahtr.574519


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