Storytelling in the Marketing of Local Cuisine: An Examination of the Sustainability of Cultural Heritage
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/jotags.2026.1873Keywords:
Local cuisine, Storytelling, Cultural heritage, Sustainable tourism, Systematic literature reviewAbstract
Local foods stand out as an element of intangible cultural heritage that is preserved and transmitted across generations, reflecting the identity, memory, and lifestyles of societies. However, globalization and changing lifestyles are significant factors threatening the sustainability of food heritage. This study aims to reveal the current state of research by systematically examining conceptual and empirical studies in the literature on the relationship between local food stories and sustainability. In this context, the aim is to determine the role of local food stories in the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic dimensions of sustainability. In the study, a systematic literature review was conducted, and the analysis followed the PRISMA approach. Within this scope, a total of 18 studies published between 2018 and 2025 in the Scopus (2) and Google Scholar (16) databases were examined. The studies obtained were classified within the framework of the three dimensions of sustainability and evaluated using narrative synthesis. As a result of the findings, it was determined that the examined studies generally rely on qualitative research methods and that, over time, the studies on the subject have evolved from cultural heritage-oriented approaches into a multidimensional framework encompassing digitalization, experience, and sustainability. In addition, it was identified that themes such as the preservation of cultural heritage, the strengthening of destination identity, the diversification of consumer experiences, the promotion of sustainable consumption behaviors, and economic value have come to the forefront in the literature. This study evaluates the current state by presenting the role of local food stories on sustainability within a systematic framework and contributes to future studies.
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