Exploring the Impact of Indigenous Culinary Heritage on Sustainable Hospitality Practices in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-930-8_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Indigenous Culinary Heritage; Sustainable Hospitality Practices; Tourist Satisfaction; Community Economic Empowerment

Abstract

This study investigates the nexus between indigenous culinary heritage and sustainable hospitality practices in Ebonyi State, Nigeria a region renowned for its cultural diversity and growing tourism sector. Despite the global emphasis on sustainability in hospitality management, the integration of indigenous culinary traditions as a driver of sustainable practices remains underexplored. The research examines how traditional food systems, local ingredient sourcing, and cultural culinary narratives can enhance environmental sustainability, economic viability, and socio-cultural preservation in hospitality establishments. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 50 hospitality managers, surveys of 200 tourists, and participant observations in 10 hotels and restaurants across urban and rural areas of Ebonyi State. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the relationships between key varia-bles: Indigenous Culinary Heritage (ICH), Sustainable Hospitality Practices (SHP), Tourist Satisfaction (TS), and Community Economic Empowerment (CEE). Findings reveal that ICH significantly influences SHP by reducing food waste, promoting eco-friendly sourcing, and fostering cultural authenticity. These practices, in turn, enhance both TS and CEE. The study underscores the potential of leveraging indigenous culinary heritage to develop a unique and sustainable hospitality model that aligns with global sustainability goals while preserving lo-cal identity.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Okey Reuben Okechukwu
AU  - Ogbonna Jacinta
AU  - Ocheola Innocent Ewaoche
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/26
TI  - Exploring the Impact of Indigenous Culinary Heritage on Sustainable Hospitality Practices in Ebonyi State, Nigeria
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Business and Entrepreneurship (ICSBE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 242
EP  - 250
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-930-8_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-930-8_17
ID  - Okechukwu2025
ER  -