Doctoral Candidate Kelvin Leong presents research results at Asia Pacific Forum in Tourism Research – APF2025
Doctoral Candidate Kelvin Leong presents research results at Asia Pacific Forum in Tourism Research - APF2025
23
May
23/05/2025
His presentation titled “City of Gastronomy’ – The Effectiveness of Gastronomy Tourism in Macao: Case Studies of the Macao Food Festival” offered a critical analysis of Macao’s gastronomic tourism development.
Leong Ka Hou Kelvin, a Doctoral candidate from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and Affiliated Researcher at the USJ’s Research Laboratory for Cultural Sustainability presented his research on gastronomy tourism in Macao at the 21st Asia Pacific Forum for Graduate Students Research in Tourism (APF2025), hosted by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 14 – 16 May. SHTM at HK PolyU is considered the world’s leading research hub in tourism and leisure studies.
His presentation, titled “City of Gastronomy’ – The Effectiveness of Gastronomy Tourism in Macao: Case Studies of the Macao Food Festival”, offered a critical analysis of Macao’s gastronomic tourism development since its 2017 UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy designation. The research examined the cultural significance of Macanese cuisine and evaluated the effectiveness of the Macao Food Festival as a platform for cultural exchange.
The study revealed both opportunities and challenges in Macao’s gastronomy tourism development. While the festival successfully attracts international visitors, the research identified significant gaps in cultural interpretation and authentic culinary representation. The findings suggest that most visitors’ experiences remain at the level of food enjoyment (food consumption), falling short of meaningful cultural engagement.
The presentation contributed to broader discussions about cultural preservation and tourism development in Asia-Pacific destinations. It proposed strategic recommendations for enhancing interpretive frameworks and promoting sustained community engagement in Macao’s gastronomic tourism initiatives. The research particularly emphasized the need to balance innovation with traditional culinary heritage preservation, offering insights relevant to other UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy.
