A Strategic Use of Special Event within Food Service: A Case Study of Culinary Tourism in Macao

As one of the central phenomenon of unique local culture, food and cuisine service play an ever more important role in the differentiation and promotion of specific tourist destinations. Economic and political use of special event is identified as part of local food service promotion and upgrading. The objective of this paper was to examine how special event upgrade local food and beverage industry as an attraction. A lot of culinary special events have emerged in many countries ranging in size from small community celebrations to major cultural festival, which feature a variety of themes as diverse as heritage, food and wine, multicultural festivals, music and arts. These special events have been a strategic tool for promoting local food and beverage service. The purpose of the paper is to examine the strategic use of special event within food and beverage service by present a critical review of the literature and perform a case analysis. The paper concludes that special events are playing an increasingly strategic role in food and beverage service.