Emerging themes in food tourism: a systematic literature review and research agenda

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to review and categorise the body of existing research in order to better understand the state of food tourism. The primary objective of this study is to identify emerging themes in the area of food tourism and to highlight the relationships among them.Design/methodology/approachThis research consists of a systematic literature review of academic articles from the Scopus and Web of Science databases.FindingsTen themes of Food Tourism emerged from the analysis, i.e. Food Tourism and Local Food, Food Tourism and Sustainability, Food Tourism and Economy, Food Tourism and Food waste management, Food Tourism and Culture, Food Tourism and Environment, Food Tourism and Information Technology, Food Tourism and COVID-19, Food Tourism and Post pandemic consumer trust and Food Tourism and Tourism and Hospitality sector.Research limitations/implicationsThis study elaborates on the theoretical pieces of evidence on the connection between food and tourism. Not only limited to food tourism, but this paper also contributes to the literature in the area of economy, sustainability, post-COVID-19, food waste management, environment and technological innovations in food tourism.Originality/valueThis study contributes to a deeper understanding of the topic at hand. The study begins by systematically examining the topic to offer a thorough and in-depth analysis of food tourism. There is not a single study which has covered these many themes of food tourism, which makes it an important contribution to the literature.