TY - UNPB ID - theses_frw3677 M1 - master AV - public Y1 - 2021/// A1 - Haberle, David Christopher EP - 83 UR - https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/3677/ N2 - Food tourism makes use of traditional agricultural production and adds value to it. Thus, it is not only a travel trend but a rising topic among geographers and policy-makers. But how can food tourism facilitate the economic development of a region? This case study comparison of Bregenzerwald (AT) and Noord-Holland (NL) aims to answer this question within the context of a regional specialisation on cheese. While food tourism exists in both regions, there is a difference in awareness of its potential for economic development between the regions, mirrored in different institutional arrangements. After assessing expectations by the literature regarding the means for a successful implementation of food tourism for the economic development of a rural region, qualitative interviews with key stakeholders in the regions are conducted. Institutional differences between the regions are analysed in three categories in accordance to the cluster-model-adaptions by Lee et al. (2016): stakeholder collaboration, leadership, information and communication flows. Overall, stronger ? i.e. larger and more outreaching ? organisations are found in Bregenzerwald. This is based on a broader underlying consensus on the value of regional cheese and the commitment to use high-quality food products for attracting foreign visitors. In Noord-Holland, there is low cooperation between tourist-oriented and domestic consumer-oriented stakeholders. Efforts to achieve a large distribution of guests among multiple farmers, cheese producers, gastronomes and other dairy-culture showcasing stakeholders should continue for a sustainable development of rural economic life. So far, the necessity to take broad action in this regard is only recognised in Bregenzerwald, but not in Noord-Holland. TI - Food Tourism as a strategy for regional economic development - A case study comparison of cheese producing regions ER -