Piedmont’s traditional food products: an investigation of the communication between producers and tourists
Abstract
This study examined food tourism and the communication of producers to tourists. The main
aim and objectives were to investigate what the producers want to communicate, how they
engage with tourists, what the motivations behind the communication are, and also the impacts
and the consequences of their activity. A qualitative methodology was used, as it was
considered appropriate for social research involving human experience, in that it provides
descriptions of the respondents’ world. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were chosen in
order to capture the rich diversity of data of the subject researched. The interviewees were ten
producers of cheese and hazelnuts, in the Italian context of the region of Piedmont, and the
responses were analysed to investigate their communication to tourists. Five main themes and
five subthemes emerged from the interviews, and the key findings were in line with the
existing literature. It appeared that communication revolves around authenticity of the activity
of the farm, quality of the product, and territory and its traditions. Findings suggested that
communication is carried out through the creation of experiences: visitors are shown around
the business and are explained the various processes during a visit. Responses highlighted that
producers communicate for different reasons and undertake tourism activities as they have
economic advantages or visibility, as they want to educate customers, because they think it is
important for place development, or to create a connection with people. The analysis built on
previous studies about food tourism that are focused on tourists’ opinions, but it analysed the
point of view of producers (Boniface 2003, Autio et al. 2013, Privitera et al. 2018).