Strengthening Farmers–Hotel Supply Chain Relationships: A Service Management Approach

Abstract

This thesis is an investigation of inter-sectorial linkages between the tourism and agriculture sectors. Tourism presents an innate opportunity to create dynamic service systems that promote sustainable development in both developed and developing countries. The alternative development paradigm promotes tourism inter-sectoral linkages to achieve a more sustainable form of development. Agriculture and Tourism Linkages are generally subscribed to as a means of distributing tourism benefits to host communities in tourism dependent developing countries. The supply of local food to hotels is one channel in which these linkages can be facilitated. For decades, research has found farmer-hotel supply chain relationships to be weak resulting in economic leakages due to high food importation to support the tourism sector (Telfer & Wall, 1996;. A framework within which these linkages can be strengthened is proposed. Instead of the traditional cost-driven transactional management of hotel supply chains, a service-oriented farmers-hotel supply chain is considered. This approach places greater value on local food as it becomes part of the visitors' service experience. Investigations of two hotels' local food supply chains indicated that the service oriented approach contributes to strengthening agriculture and tourism linkages. Strengthened linkages using local food are expected to contribute to solving socio-economic challenges such as; unemployment among the rural poor, low income of farmers, food insecurity and poverty. This research provides useful insights for development planners, policy makers, service sector managers, academics and futuristic thinkers in the tourism industry who are all in search of practical solutions to the tourism development challenge highlighted.iii DedicationThis thesis is in honor of my mother Margaret Mary Joseph for her commitment to ensuring that my siblings and I were educated even though she did not have such privilege.

Economic sustainability? Examining the linkages and leakages between agriculture and hotels in Bhutan

“…The link between agriculture and tourism is one of the means through which leakages can be avoided and the benefits of tourism dispersed to local communities (Thomas‐Francois, Von Massow, & Joppe, ). Food purchases can comprise about one third of tourist expenditures (Belisle, ) and have the potential to generate income and employment to local economies.…”

“…Thomas‐Francois et al () suggest that service‐dominant logic may strengthen farmers–hotels supply chain relationships, characterized by a consumer‐centric supply chain and strong and valued business relationships among stakeholders.…”

Assessing agriculture–tourism linkages in Senegal: A structure path analysis

“…Many studies warn of the leakages which can occur when the tourism industry relies on imported goods (e.g. Wall, 1996, 2000;Torres, 2003;Torres and Momsen, 2004;Rogerson, 2012;Pillay and Rogerson, 2013;Thomas-Francois et al, 2017;Anderson;. Previous studies on agriculturetourism linkages have employed a survey approach (e.g.…”

“…Anderson, 2018, Pratt et al, 2018; or a Service Management Approach (e.g. Thomas-Francois et al, 2017) to develop an understanding of the linkages between tourism and agriculture. Few studies have applied Input-Output (IO) or Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) models to estimate the multiplier effects and the backward and forward linkages of tourism with other sectors including agriculture (e.g.…”

Tourism for Poverty Alleviation: Issues and Debates in the Global South

“…The establishment and consolidation of local economic linkages is necessary, however, for maximizing tourism's potential for achieving broadly based patterns of economic and social development or inclusive growth (Scheyvens, 2011;Saarinen and Lenao, 2014;Butler and Rogerson, 2016). A service-oriented approach to local food supply chains is emerging as a promising model for advancing linkage formation and strengthening between local agriculture and tourism establishments (Thomas-Francois et al, 2016). Overall, resolving the challenges of strengthening tourism-poverty linkages is critical for livelihood diversification and addressing rural poverty and ultimately for the extent to which tourism can be a vehicle for transformative and inclusive growth across the global South (UNCTAD, 2017).…”