VALUE CO-CREATIVE GASTRONOMIC TOURISM AND SUSTAINABLE DESTINATION VALUE: EVIDENCE FROM A UNESCO CREATIVE CITY OF GASTRONOMY
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Gastronomic tourism has gained increasing attention as a pathway for sustainable destination development, particularly in cities recognized for their culinary heritage. However, empirical research has paid limited attention to how everyday interactions among local actors’ shape sustainability outcomes and destination value in practice, especially in secondary cities in the Global South. This study examined how co-creative processes among diverse stakeholders contributed to sustainable gastronomic tourism in Phetchaburi, Thailand, the country’s first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. Using a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 32 key informants representing local food producers, tourism entrepreneurs, community representatives, and public-sector actors, complemented by field observations and document analysis. The findings showed that sustainable gastronomic tourism emerged through three interrelated social processes: the integration and negotiation of culinary knowledge, the co-design and enactment of participatory food experiences, and shared forms of local governance. These processes shaped tourism experiences grounded in authenticity, interaction, and learning, while reinforcing cultural continuity, social cohesion, and locally embedded economic practices. Importantly, the study demonstrated that sustainability outcomes derived from co-created experiences accumulated into destination value, reflected in stronger place attachment, positive destination image, visitor loyalty, and local value retention. By foregrounding the lived experiences and agency of local actors, this research conceptualized co-creation gastronomy tourism as a socially embedded and governance-dependent process through which gastronomic tourism became meaningful and sustainable. The findings offered practical insights into creative gastronomy cities seeking to align heritage preservation with inclusive and context-sensitive tourism development.
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