In May 2022, I had the privilege of visiting Edinburgh Napier University. Over the course of a month, I immersed myself in the vibrant academic and professional community at the Tourism Research Centre (TRC), guided by Dr Louise Todd, with whom I established a strong collaborative connection.
One of the highlights of my visit was the CHME 2022 conference “The Human Touch in Hospitality”, hosted on Napier’s Craiglockhart campus from 24 to 27 May 2022. There, I engaged with leading scholars and practitioners, broadening my understanding of hospitality research and forging connections that would inform future collaborations with Louise and her team.
One unforgettable highlight was having Professor Donna Chambers, whose work I deeply admire, not only as the keynote speaker but also as an attendee in our session. At CHME 2022, I had the privilege of presenting the paper “Madrid LGTBIQ+ Pride in a Health Crisis Context” (co-authored with Gonzalo Recio-Moreno), which explored how the community navigated visibility, celebration, and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory, our study amplified the voices of activists, residents, and professionals at a moment when public expression was both urgent and vulnerable. Professor Donna Chambers’ presence was both inspiring and humbling, adding depth and significance to the entire experience. I am also grateful for the insightful feedback from Dr. Martin Robertson, whose thoughtful comments helped me critically reframe aspects of the research and encouraged a potential collaboration with the brilliant Faith Ong (paper available here).
Beyond the conference, the Tourism Research Centre kindly invited me to deliver research seminars on mental health in academia, early career challenges, and qualitative research methods.
Besides, thanks to this visit, I began a fruitful collaboration with Dr. Louise Todd on experience design, storytelling, and sustainable event management, an exchange that seeded our joint research. Building on our shared research interests and longstanding collaboration, Dr. Francesc Fusté-Forné, Dr. Louise Todd, Dr. Eerang Park, and I co-edited a Special Issue in Tourism Management Perspectives titled “Food Tourism Events for Social Sustainability.” This issue invites critical and interdisciplinary reflections on how food events operate as vehicles for social change, justice, and community well-being. By bringing together diverse methodological and geographical perspectives, the issue aims to advance theoretical and empirical understandings of how food tourism can contribute to sustainable futures, particularly in times of global uncertainty and socio-ecological transition.
Through our research collaboration (with Dr. Francesc Fusté-Forné) Food festivals, as we argue, are not simply about gastronomy, they are performative acts of place-making (paper available here). Through scenographic elements, walking practices, and digital tools, these events communicate layered histories and emotional geographies. By engaging with participants’ senses and memories, they construct an immersive experience that is both personal and collective. The “origin story” of a food festival, then, is often tied not just to regional identity or tradition, but to the narrative choices made by organizers: whose stories are told, whose tastes are elevated, and whose labour remains unseen.
Behind the scenes, we find complex negotiations: between stakeholders and residents, between authenticity and commodification, and between inclusion and silence. As we discovered in our collaborative walking research, these festivals are sites where identities are rehearsed and contested, not just consumed. This research trajectory also led us to collaborate with Dr. Mania Moysidou from Edinburgh Napier University, extending our exploration of food festivals to the Scottish context.
Building on this shared foundation, Dr Louise Todd and I are teaming up again to present at CHME 2025. It is a continuation of the intellectual trip that began with my first visit. It is an honour to return to Edinburgh Napier University as a Visiting Associate Professor, a position of great personal and professional significance. Edinburgh is without a doubt my favourite city in the world: it has always provided me with academic stimulation, creative inspiration and a sense of personal connection. Edinburgh Napier University welcomed me at a critical juncture in my academic career, providing not only room but also visibility, encouragement, and genuine engagement while I was still an early career researcher. That experience of being seen and heard is still at the heart of my approach to academic collaboration and mentorship.
Written by visiting Professor Alicia Orea-Giner, Associate Professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos.