Spatial Patterns of Local Culinary Resources and Their Implications for Culinary Tourism Planning: A Case Study of Leshan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56479/ijgr-96Keywords:
Culinary tourism, Local culinary resources, Spatial pattern, Spatial planning, LeshanAbstract
Local culinary resources are an important component of destination identity and tourism experience, yet their spatial organization and implications for regional culinary tourism planning remain insufficiently understood. Taking Leshan as a case study, this research examines the spatial patterns of six representative local culinary resources using 2,234 point-of-interest (POI) records. Standard Deviational Ellipse and Point Density analyses were employed to characterize spatial concentration, directional tendencies, and clustering patterns, while rated scenic areas and the regional road network were incorporated as supporting spatial information for planning interpretation. The results reveal a pronounced core–periphery structure. The culinary POIs are mainly concentrated in the northeastern plain and hilly areas, with relatively sparse distributions in the southwestern mountainous region. Shizhong and Emeishan constitute the dominant culinary cores, together accounting for 68.9% of all POIs. Five of the six culinary categories exhibit a broadly northwest–southeast orientation, and high-density clusters are mainly concentrated in central Leshan and Emeishan, with progressively lower densities toward peripheral mountainous counties. Based on these patterns, a “Dual-core, One Ring, and Three Belts” spatial framework is proposed to strengthen connections among culinary clusters, scenic attractions, and transport corridors. The study demonstrates how fine-scale culinary POI analysis can support destination-scale spatial organization and provides practical implications for more connected and spatially differentiated culinary tourism planning.
Downloads
References
Babalou, Y., Maleki, A., & Gibson, H. (2026). Social media influencers as catalysts for transforming risk perception, crafting destination image, and elevating culinary tourism in Iran. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 32(2), 725–741. https://doi.org/10.1177/13567667241306428
Ding, F., Zhang, S., & Dai, L. (2024). Spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of tourism resources based on point of interest data. PLOS ONE, 19(9), e0310487. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0310487
Dordai, L., Becze, A., & Roman, M. (2026). Gastronomic tourism: Global trends, sustainability challenges, and research directions (2010–2025)—A comprehensive review. Gastronomy, 4(1), 4. https://doi.org/10.3390/gastronomy4010004
Esri. (n.d.). How directional distribution (standard deviational ellipse) works. https://doc.esri.com/en/arcgis-pro/latest/tool-reference/spatial-statistics/h-how-directional-distribution-standard-deviationa.html
Eviana, N., & Yusrini, L. (2025). Do they return for food? Exploring the role of memorable food experiences and destination image. Turyzm/Tourism, 35(2), 65–74. https://doi.org/10.18778/0867-5856.2025.18
Fukuda, S., Hamada, Y., Ishita, E., Nanba, H., & Shoji, H. (2026). Planning support system for genre-specific culinary walking tours based on dish-level recommendations. International Journal of Affective Engineering, 25(3), 577–594. https://doi.org/10.5057/ijae.IJAE-D-25-00026
García-Pérez, L. E., & Castillo-Ortiz, I. (2024). Memorable gastro-tourism experiences: A systematic literature review. Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights, 5(2), 100158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annale.2024.100158
Hu, C., Jin, C., Zhang, Z., & Shao, H. (2025). Spatial association patterns of restaurant locations in Chinese and American megacities: A comparison of Shanghai and New York. Cities, 159, 105747. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2025.105747
Jiang, Y., Huang, W., Xiong, X., Shu, B., Yang, J., Li, M., & Cui, X. (2024). Investigating spatial patterns and determinants of tourist attractions utilizing POI data: A case study of Hubei Province, China. Heliyon, 10(11), e32370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32370
Lefever, D. W. (1926). Measuring geographic concentration by means of the standard deviational ellipse. American Journal of Sociology, 32(1), 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1086/214027
Luong, T.-B., & Nguyen, D. T. A. (2025). Culinary involvement, cultural background, and culinary expertise: Interconnections between destination pull factors, culinary destination image, culinary experiences, and loyalty in Hanoi's culinary tourism. Tourism and Hospitality Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584251330185
Luong, T.-B., & Nguyen, D. T. A. (2026). Adapting theory of motivation in food tourism: A moderation of eco-food destination image. Journal of Ecotourism, 25(2), 109–133. https://doi.org/10.1080/14724049.2025.2484004
Matysiak, A. K., & Stone, M. J. (2026). Exploring traveler demand for multiday food tours. Tourism Review International, 30(3), 247–260. https://doi.org/10.3727/194344225X17604820092647
Moura, A. A., Mira, M. R., & Teixeira, A. R. (2025). The tourist gastronomic experience: Ties between young foodies' motivation and destination development in Portugal. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010007
Pinke-Sziva, I., Smith, M., Csapody, B., & Szakály, O. (2025). Gastronomy as a special interest tourism product in Budapest. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 17(4), 485–496. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-01-2025-0031
Ruliya, R., Kumar, D., Khatkar, P., Ambardar, A., & Ambardar, M. G. (2026). Culinary tourism experiences as a strategic driver of destination revisit intention and sustainable brand image. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 45, 101568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2026.101568
Song, L., Rosniza Aznie, C. R., Rosmiza, M. Z., & Chen, S. (2025). Reconstructing high-quality tourism spatial structure: An empirical study of Shanxi Province from the perspective of supply and demand. The Annals of Regional Science, 74, Article 79. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-025-01406-1
Tan, L., & Bu, X. (2025). Study on spatially nonstationary impact on catering distribution: A multiscale geographically weighted regression analysis using POI data. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 14(3), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14030119
Wang, Y., Wu, X., Qin, J., Zhang, X., & Wang, X. (2025). The agglomeration of food services and their colocation with surrounding complementary services in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 14(2), 40. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi14020040
Wu, J., Zhang, Q., & Li, Z. (2025). Spatial coupling characteristics between tourism point of interest (POI) and nighttime light data of the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Metropolitan Area, China. Sustainability, 17(6), 2391. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062391
Xia, J., Wang, Y., Zhu, L., Liu, Y., & Wei, K. (2026). Culinary tourism destination competitiveness at the block scale: An experience-based diagnostic approach using spatial and online review data. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 42, 101124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2026.101124
Yoo, S. C. (2026). Objective material authenticity in food tourism: Location quotient evidence from South Korean regional food festivals. Tourism and Hospitality, 7(7), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp7070202
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Jun Xia, Ying Wang, Linfu Zhu, Kangjia Wei

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Licensing (CC BY-NC 4.0): Articles published in the International Journal of Gastronomy Research (IJGR) are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This license permits others to share, reproduce, distribute, and adapt the articles for non-commercial purposes, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original authors, IJGR is acknowledged as the original source of publication, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated. Authors retain copyright of their work and may freely share their published articles. Third-party materials may be subject to separate copyright and licensing conditions, as indicated in the respective articles.