Chinese Visitors’ Participation in Culinary Tourism in the Öresund Region

Sammanfattning: This thesis is an ethnographic study of Chinese visitors’ participation in culinary tourism in the Öresund region. It aims to do qualitative research on the consumption of exotic food and the status of cooking with locals’ activity among Chinese tourists and to deliver insights to culinary tourism agencies in terms of attracting Chinese tourists to joining the food-related activities in present and investigating more relevant activities in the future. Firstly, this thesis starts to investigate popular culinary activities among Chinese tourists and the meanings of these activities for them: the meanings of consumption food; and their experiences towards local food services and culture, etc. Secondly, cooking is meaningful for Chinese people as as an indispensable housework and special activity for fun for Chinese people. And compared to Chinese people daily cooking and preferences of culinary activities, cooking with locals can provide more sensational experience and by cooking and eating together, communication and interaction happens, identities shifts and relationship established. As a result, tourists could explore and gain knowledge of ethnic culture. Finally, food can play its role as a medium to make people who are outside of local community to understand and learn more about local cultural backgrounds.