Networking and collaboration between tourism and agriculture: food tourism experiences along the National Tourist Routes of Norway

Abstract

Food and culinary routes have been embraced by many destinations (Hjalager & Corigliano, 2000). However, these routes often include narrow geographical areas. The purpose of this study was to identify the challenges and possibilities of networking and collaboration in a food tourism project in a larger geographic area, specifically the Taste of National Tourist Routes (TNTR) in Norway. Although contacts among business operators and participants have been established, different priorities and dissatisfaction among participants suggest that building relationships and sharing knowledge as part of networking and collaboration is difficult. A lack of willingness, involvement and trust are critical factors that affect the success of a well-intentioned network-based food tourism project. Additionally, internal conflicts between government ministries and agencies may also impede the success of a project of this scale. Nevertheless, the outcomes are not solely negative, as the establishment of initial contacts may eventually lead to formal collaborative opportunities and food tourism developments in the future.