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Gastronomy + tourism creates emotional value and stimulates new tourism momentum

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2025-01-17

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Cultural Tourism Key Event Recommendations

(3 days, 13 forums, 100+ guest speakers sharing)

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Editor-in-Chief | Yang Ming

Editor | Liu Kaiye

Source | Tourism Festival Marketing Think Tank

With the improvement of people's living standards and the transformation of consumption concepts, tourism is no longer just for sightseeing, but also a cultural experience and emotional pursuit. Against this backdrop, the 'Cuisine + Cultural Tourism' integrated model has emerged, which not only satisfies people's pursuit of food but also, through food as a carrier, allows people to deeply experience and feel the cultural charm of different regions.

As an important part of culture, cuisine carries the history, customs, and emotions of a place. Every special dish is a story, and every culinary feast is a cultural journey. With the rise of the 'Cuisine + Cultural Tourism' model, we see a new path for the deep integration of culture and tourism, which not only injects new vitality into urban development but also provides new ideas for the innovative development of the cultural tourism industry.

Fusion of Cuisine and Cultural Tourism: A New Engine for Urban Development

Cuisine is a vivid narrator of local culture. Guangdong's fresh seafood reflects its abundant marine resources and the coastal residents' pursuit of original flavors; Chongqing hotpot, with its spicy and simmering broth and diverse ingredients, showcases the passionate and straightforward spirit of the Bashu region and the inclusive diversity of dock culture. Every special dish is a unique expression of local customs, history, and profound heritage. They have settled over the long river of time, becoming distinct symbols of regional culture, allowing tourists to savor the food as if traveling through time, deeply understanding the local cultural context. This spring, the buzz of Zibo BBQ has not faded, and Tianshui Spicy Hotpot's popularity has surged again. The explosion of these foods is not accidental; they attract tourists with their unique charm, stimulate tourists' emotional value, and have become a new engine for urban cultural tourism development. The deep integration of cuisine and cultural tourism is bringing unprecedented development opportunities to urban cultural tourism, and the 'traffic code' behind it is worth exploring.

Image: Zibo BBQ three-piece set | Source: Public network

'Taste Bud Tours' stimulate consumers' emotional value through multiple paths

1. Story-driven culinary experience: Awakening cultural memory

Behind every special dish lies its unique story and cultural connotation. By integrating cuisine with regional culture and historical narratives, it can awaken tourists' cultural memories and evoke emotional resonance. For instance, one can tell the origin, preparation process, and cultural significance behind a traditional dish, allowing tourists to deeply experience the rich historical atmosphere and cultural heritage while savoring the food. This immersive experience can be presented through on-site explanations, interactive exhibitions, cultural lectures, and other forms, enabling tourists to delve into the touching stories behind each dish in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Chengdu, as a famous culinary capital of China, is renowned for its unique Sichuan cuisine. The core characteristics of Sichuan dishes are their numbing, spicy, fresh, and aromatic flavors, and behind each classic dish lies a rich history and cultural story. In Chengdu, many tourism projects combine the history, regional culture, and cooking techniques of Sichuan cuisine to create highly appealing culinary experiences, helping tourists better understand the cultural connotations of Sichuan cuisine. Chengdu hotpot is one of the representatives of Sichuan cuisine. When experiencing hotpot, tourists can not only taste the delicious spicy hotpot but also hear stories about its origin. Legend has it that hotpot originated with Sichuan fishermen and peddlers, who used simple pots to heat spicy broth on boats or in markets, making it convenient to eat on the go. Over time, this simple yet distinctive local practice evolved into an important part of Sichuan people's dining tables. By explaining these historical stories, tourists can better understand the cultural significance behind hotpot and experience the bold and passionate spirit of Sichuan people represented by this 'numbing and spicy' flavor.

Image: Sichuan Chuanshang Hotpot | Source: Public network

2. Immersive culinary theater: Creating an all-encompassing sensory feast

Immersive culinary theater is an innovative experience that perfectly blends cuisine with performing arts. Through meticulously designed scene arrangements, lighting and sound effects, and captivating performances by actors, it creates an all-encompassing sensory feast. One can design an immersive performance centered around a local specialty dish, integrating cooking demonstrations, tasting experiences, and cultural explanations. Tourists can not only closely observe the food preparation during the performance but also taste authentic delicacies and feel the rich cultural atmosphere and emotional transmission.

Hangzhou possesses a profound cultural heritage and rich culinary traditions in its development. In recent years, some innovative cultural tourism projects in Hangzhou have begun to combine cuisine with cultural performances, attempting to create immersive culinary theater experiences. Among them, the 'Song Rhyme Culinary Theater' is one such successful practice of this concept. The 'Song Rhyme Culinary Theater' is set against the backdrop of the Song Dynasty history and Hangzhou's local cuisine, designing a series of culinary performances related to Song Dynasty culture. The theater's sets and costumes are primarily in the Song Dynasty style, and the stage is adorned with classical pavilions and towers, as if transporting visitors back to the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago. The entire environment visually draws visitors into a world filled with historical ambiance.

During the performance, the actors not only perform ancient stories and poems, but also participate with chefs in the food preparation process. On site at the theater, actors intersperse themselves in the cooking process, narrating the origins and history of Hangzhou cuisine, especially traditional dishes related to the Song Dynasty, such as 'West Lake Vinegar Fish' and 'Longjing Shrimp'. Visitors can watch the actors' splendid performances while closely observing how the chefs complete the preparation of these dishes.

Image: Song Rhyme Culinary Theater | Source: Public network

Immersive culinary theater not only focuses on visual and auditory effects but also particularly emphasizes the combination of taste and smell. As the food is prepared and the performance unfolds, the aroma of food fills the theater, allowing visitors to savor freshly prepared delicious dishes while enjoying beautiful performances and historical stories. Behind each dish are corresponding cultural stories and historical legends, which enhance visitors' emotional connection to these foods.

This innovative form of culinary theater not only attracts a large number of tourists but also effectively promotes Hangzhou's and even China's traditional culture. Through such an immersive experience, visitors can more intuitively feel the charm of Chinese traditional cuisine and culture, enhancing their cultural identity, while also bringing a positive impetus to the local economy and tourism industry.

3. Internet-famous food check-in spots: Meeting social sharing needs

Currently, in the powerful dissemination power of social media,网红美食打卡点 (internet celebrity food check-in spots) have become one of the important highlights in attracting tourists. By carefully creating creative and attractive food check-in spots, tourist destinations can not only meet tourists' needs for taking photos and sharing, but also effectively enhance their popularity and influence. These check-in spots can be unique snack stalls, food-themed blocks, or creative food installations. Clever design and unique layouts can attract tourists to stop and share them on social platforms.

At the beginning of this year, Tianshui City in Gansu Province became famous throughout China thanks to a bowl of mala tang. The mala tang courtyard in the main urban area of Tianshui City has become a popular check-in spot for many food lovers. There are many mala tang stalls here, each with its own characteristics. The special feature of Tianshui mala tang lies in its ingredients, which combine the three souls of “ma, la, tang”—chilies, wide noodles, and potatoes. Many netizens have shared videos of their visits to Tianshui mala tang on short video platforms, receiving a large number of likes and comments in a short period of time. The comment section was flooded with messages such as “Where can I eat this?” and “Can you give me the specific location?” “Gansu mala tang” and “Tianshui mala tang” became trending keywords, attracting more influencers to visit and check in at Tianshui.

Image: The popularity of Tianshui mala tang on social media | Source: Public network

According to Meituan data, since March, the number of dine-in orders for mala tang in Tianshui, Gansu has increased by more than 140% compared to the same period in the previous two months, ranking among the top in the province. Nationwide attention to “Gansu mala tang” continues to rise. In the past week, the keyword search volume for “Tianshui mala tang” on Dianping has increased by more than 13 times week-on-week. The popularity of Tianshui mala tang has brought new opportunities for the development of Tianshui's cultural tourism industry. It has also driven an increase in the number of tourists visiting attractions such as the Fuxi Temple, Dayiwan Ruins, and Tianshui Ancient City. Tianshui's internet celebrity mala tang, through social media dissemination, has attracted a large number of tourists to come and taste and check in, not only satisfying tourists' needs for taking photos and sharing, but also enhancing Tianshui's popularity and influence. It is a typical case of successful attraction of tourists by internet celebrity food check-in spots.

A Brief Analysis of the Future Development Direction of “Food + Tourism”

1. Deep Cultural Integration and Innovative Expression

The integration of food and culture will become deeper and more creative. It will not be limited to the superficial display of food and cultural performances. In the future, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and other high-tech means will be used to create immersive cultural experiences for tourists. Tourists can use these technologies to travel through time and space, personally experience the scene of making ancient food, participate in traditional food rituals, and more intuitively feel the profound cultural connotation behind the food. In addition, the inheritance and innovation of food culture will go hand in hand. Chefs and food creators will be encouraged to create new things based on preserving traditional flavors, combining modern cooking techniques and creative ideas, and creating new types of food that integrate diverse cultural elements, bringing tourists a brand-new taste shock and cultural experience.

2. Personalized and Customized Experiences

With the increasing diversification and personalization of consumer needs, food + tourism will pay more attention to providing customized experiences. Tourists can customize their own food tourism routes according to their interests, taste preferences, and time arrangements. For example, food lovers can choose to explore the origin of a specific cuisine in depth, participate in local cooking classes, interact with famous chefs, and even personally experience the process of picking and selecting ingredients. Cultural and tourism enterprises can use big data and artificial intelligence technology to accurately analyze the needs of tourists and tailor-make unique food and tourism itineraries for them, meeting everyone's unique expectations for food and travel.

3. Health and Sustainable Development

Healthy eating and sustainable development concepts will profoundly affect the future direction of food + tourism. Consumers will pay more attention to the source, production process, and nutritional value of food. Therefore, tourist destinations and catering enterprises will emphasize the use of local organic ingredients, promote green and environmentally friendly cooking methods, and reduce food waste. At the same time, the concept of sustainable development will run through the entire tourism industry chain. From the planting and procurement of ingredients, restaurant operation and management to the organization and planning of tourism activities, it will all follow the principles of environmental protection and sustainability. For example, developing ecological food tourism, tourists can taste freshly picked fruits and vegetables on organic farms, learn about the practice of sustainable agriculture, and enjoy the pleasant experience brought by natural scenery and healthy food.

Image: Consumers tasting food | Source: Public network

Postscript

The deep integration of food and tourism has become a new engine for urban development. It not only stimulates the emotional value of consumers, but also brings new impetus to the development of the cultural tourism industry. Through multi-dimensional paths such as story-based food experiences, immersive food theaters, and internet celebrity food check-in spots, the combination of food and tourism is creating new consumption experiences and cultural dissemination methods.

This integration not only allows tourists to learn more about and experience the local culture while tasting food, but also enhances tourists' cultural identity and the brand image of the place through emotional resonance and social sharing. With the development of technology and digital innovation, the future cultural tourism industry will pay more attention to immersive experiences and personalized services, further enhancing tourists' emotional value and tourism satisfaction.

At the same time, this integration has also brought new growth points to the local economy. By attracting tourists through food, it drives the development of related industries such as tourism, catering, and accommodation, forming a virtuous economic cycle. Therefore, the deep integration of food and tourism is not only a need for cultural inheritance and innovation, but also an important way to promote local economic development. With the increasing consumer demand for experiential tourism, this integration model will become a new trend in the development of the cultural tourism industry.

Cultural Tourism Key Event Recommendations

(3 days, 13 forums, 100+ guest speakers sharing)

The China Tourism Association will hold the 2025 China Tourism, Leisure and Entertainment Industry Annual Conference in Beijing from March 18-20 The annual conference will set up more than 10 special forums, including safety, theme parks, urban parks, immersive experiences, cultural commerce and tourism, tourist attractions, parent-child cultural tourism, resource revitalization, cultural tourism planning, new cultural tourism species, and cultural sports tourism (non-motorized), etc. At the same time as the annual conference (March 19-21), the 2025 China (Beijing) International Amusement Facilities and Equipment Expo (Beijing International Tourism, Leisure and Entertainment Industry Expo) will be held, with more than 600 cultural tourism equipment and creative enterprises exhibiting, helping you upgrade your cultural tourism projects with new scenes and experiences in one stop. 。 Click on the poster to view details, scan the QR code to register for the forum and exhibition for free.

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