High quality food, every day of the year, is essential to hotels, lodges and resorts. Often the
food purchasing bill of a tourism site is large in the context of the local economy, but
surprisingly little is spent locally, even when farmers are nearby. The challenges of shifting
food-sourcing to local farmers are considerable, yet if it can be done in a way that meets
commercial needs and customer tastes, this is one way in which tourism operations can
significantly increase their contribution to local economic development.