An advanced framework for food trail performance

The development of food trails is regularly touted as a key economic diversification strategy for struggling areas in rural Australia. Academics and consultants alike offer many strategies for their successful development; however, none present a comprehensive consideration of food trail quality. This article reports on a study exploring two food trails in regional Australia, based on a framework developed from success factors identified in the literature. While one trail was considered ‘successful’ and the other ‘unsuccessful’, the longevity of both trails was in jeopardy, raising questions of whether the success factors identified in the literature adequately address the real issues facing food trails. Drawing on the experiences of the case studies, a more critical and user-friendly framework for food trail performance is proposed with the aim of providing a tool for enquiry for rural areas considering diversification into food tourism through trails.