SUSTAINABLE BEST PRACTICES OF EUROPEAN CULINARY FESTIVALS

Purpose – The COVID-19 pandemic has a major impact on the operation of hospitality establishments today. Conscious entrepreneurs have exploited this critical situation to carry out self-revision and examined the opportunities to open towards new models. But what is the situation with culinary events? The period of recovery after a crisis often shifts in a new direction of operation such as the emergence of sustainable approaches in gastronomy and tourism. In order to showcase exemplary methods, our main research question is “what sustainable practices are applied in European culinary festivals”? Methodology – The following study is primarily based on the identification of best practices from European gastronomic festivals. Using benchmarking methodology is a complex, systematic process including the creation of new standards in order to provide ideas for event organizers to make their festivals more sustainable. Findings – The results were allocated within four dimensions (ingredients and food served; organization; communication and programs; local communities and culture), assigning each practice to specific aspects by dimension. Based on the results, we can state that “local thinking” appears across the dimensions in exemplary practices, regarding the culture of settlements hosting the festivals as well as the procurement of ingredients. Moreover, in connection with the social pillar of sustainability, while promoting local family businesses, the transfer and preservation of local culture by the festivals must also play a key role. Contribution – We were seeking functional implementation ideas that can help strengthen sustainable gastronomic tourism in the post-crisis recovery period. Our goal is to detect and showcase these examples and raise the awareness of event organizers.