Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to review the contribution of food to tourism with particular reference to the importance of food tourism and the factors which are critical to its success, highlighting topics for future research. Design/methodology/approach -Findings are based on analysis of academic and practitioner materials in the public domain collected from a range of print and electronic sources. Findings -Food is the subject of various types of tourism product and is a common theme in marketing, by businesses and destination authorities. Tourism in which food plays a primary or supporting role is already popular and has good prospects, but there are also challenges for the food and tourism industries to overcome, which vary with location. Practical implications -Opportunities are suggested as well as some of the problems to be resolved by suppliers and marketers if the potential of food tourism is to be fully exploited. Originality/value -The paper is a reassessment of the significance of food tourism as a product and market and a reminder of possible pitfalls regarding its successful sales and marketing.

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where she has worked since 1997, specialising in tourism and hospitality studies. Before this, she lectured in travel and tourism in the United Kingdom after periods of employment in the public and private tourism sectors there. Current research interests include tourism crisis management and tourism development in the Middle East and Asia Pacifi c regions.

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The sudden outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Singapore in 2003 was a grave crisis for the tourism industry as a whole and highlights the importance of effectively managing and planning for such occurrences. This study looks at the particular consequences of the infectious virus for the hotel sector and reactions to the challenges posed. Further health-related crises seem inevitable in the modern world and some guidelines for dealing with these are proposed, based on the Singapore experience and an existing framework for tourism crisis management.