IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/vnm/wpdman/228.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Commitment, Community, Territory: Unpacking Authenticity and the Influence of Tourism in Restaurants

Author

Listed:
  • Francesca Checchinato

    (Venice School of Management, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)

  • Paolo Cunico

    (Venice School of Management, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)

  • Vladi Finotto

    (Venice School of Management, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice)

Abstract

This study examines how restaurants convey authenticity in destinations not renowned for their gastronomy, with a particular focus on the impact of overtourism. Drawing on a supply-side perspective, it examines restaurateurs’ strategies for conveying authenticity through a thematic analysis of 21 in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted in Venice, an overtourism hotspot, and the nearby Euganean Hills†, a more tranquil, locally visited destination. Using thematic analysis and set theory, the study identifies three intersecting components of authenticity—commitment, community, and territory—that collectively characterise restaurateurs’ approaches. The findings reveal the importance of workers’ dedication to family traditions, engagement with local communities, and connection to the territory in shaping authentic gastronomic experiences. This research advances the destination marketing literature by elucidating the managerial and social dynamics behind authentic food offerings. It provides practical insights for restaurateurs seeking to maintain authenticity amid varying tourist flows and highlights investment directions for policymakers to mitigate overtourism.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesca Checchinato & Paolo Cunico & Vladi Finotto, 2025. "Commitment, Community, Territory: Unpacking Authenticity and the Influence of Tourism in Restaurants," Working Papers 10, Venice School of Management - Department of Management, Università Ca' Foscari Venezia.
    • Handle: RePEc:vnm:wpdman:228
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.unive.it/web/fileadmin/user_upload/dipartimenti/DMAN/pubblicazioni_scientifiche/working_papers/2025/2025wp10.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2025
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:vnm:wpdman:228. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Daria Arkhipova (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/mdvenit.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.