Purpose : This research note was an extract from primary research on sustainable food tourists’ behaviours. Evolving tourist behaviours, stakeholder dynamics, the need for sustainability focus, and digital mediation that regulate sustainable food tourism competitiveness were the driving forces. This study proposed an integrated agenda for research, marketing, and policymaking that reflected the evolving complexity of sustainable food consumption in tourism.

Methods : This note was produced based on the three dimensions — theoretical background, insights from Focus Group Discussion, and analysis of the other secondary non-academic sources. The implications were generated by integrating the theoretical frameworks, including cultural capital theory, stakeholder theory, self-determination theory, and affordance theory, insights from focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted with 12 food retailers across diverse destinations, and secondary analysis of existing research on social media influence, technological affordances, and sustainable lifestyle values.

Significant Findings : Visitors sought authentic, ethical food-related experiences tied to values of sustainability, albeit with small producers being marginalized through power asymmetries. Digital media framed understanding but re-reflected inequalities of access across race, class, and gender.

Novelty : The research transcended fixed consumer models by demonstrating sustainable food tourism as dynamic, relational, and mediated by technology and identity intersections, providing a critical rethinking of theorizing tourist behaviours.

Implications : Researchers, policymakers, and marketers must ensure digital inclusion, empower local producers, certify authenticity, and harmonize efforts with SDG 12 to create resilient, equitable, and sustainable food tourism systems.

1. Bourdieu, P. (2019). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste (2nd ed.). In Social stratification, class, race, and gender in sociological perspective. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429306419-82/distinction-social-critique-judgement-taste-pierre-bourdieu
2. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. A. Van Lange, & E. T. Higgins (eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology (pp. 416–436). Sage Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446249215.n21
3. Dhillon, S., & Munjal, N. (2022). Convenience food lifestyle segments – A study of Delhi-NCR. Indian Journal of Marketing, 52(7), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2022/v52/i7/170539
4. Font, X., English, R., Gkritzali, A., & Tian, W. (2021). Value co-creation in sustainable tourism: A service-dominant logic approach. Tourism Management, 82, Article ID 104200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104200
5. Freeman, R. E., & Phillips, R. A. (2002). Stakeholder theory: A libertarian defense. Business Ethics Quarterly, 12(3), 331–349. https://doi.org/10.2307/3858020
6. Gibson, J. J. (2014). The theory of affordances: (1979). In The people, place, and space reader (1st ed.). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315816852-11/
7. Kumar, S., & Jain, E. (2024). Role of theory of planned behavior in interpreting sustainable consumption behavior: A meta-analysis. Indian Journal of Marketing, 54(10), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2024/v54/i10/174605
8. Lin, Z., Wong, I. A., & Wu, S. (2023). The rising environmentalists: Fostering environmental goal attainment through volunteer tourism. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 55, 482–492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2023.05.019
9. Lugosi, P., & Quinton, S. (2018). More-than-human netnography. Journal of Marketing Management, 34(3–4), 287–313. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1431303
10. Shankar, S. R. (2021). A research note: More to ponder on the perspectives of sustainability of tourism destinations. Indian Journal of Marketing, 51(2), 60–66. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2021/v51/i2/157551
11. Shankar, S. R. (2022). Emerging food tourism in India: Are foodscape destinations strategically branded? A perspective. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(11), 63–67. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2022/v15i11/172523
12. Sharief, Z., & Panghal, A. (2023). Sustainable consumption: Consumer behavior when purchasing sustainability-labeled food products. Indian Journal of Marketing, 53(8), 47–65. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2023/v53/i8/172975
13. Shekhar, Singh, P., & Shekhar, S. (2023). Sustainable tourism research in India: A review study. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 16(4), 8–27. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2023/v16i4/170747
14. Singh, S. P., Sajnani, M., & Arora, G. K. (2023). Tourism industry and circular economy: Deep interlinkages. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 16(5), 8–17. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2023/v16i5/172822
15. Tussyadiah, I., & Miller, G. (2020). Imagining the future of travel: Technology and sustainability transitions. e-Review of Tourism Research, 17(5), 674–684. https://openresearch.surrey.ac.uk/esploro/outputs/journalArticle/Imagining-the-Future-of-Travel-Technology/99516150302346?institution=44SUR_INST