Strengthening culinary heritage through inclusive education: a rural community collaboration in Guizhou, China

Culinary traditions play a vital role in shaping and preserving the cultural heritage of local communities. This study explores the influence of culinary education and public awareness on social norms, with local people's culinary culture as a mediator variable, specifically within the context of rural tourism in Guizhou, China. An exploratory mixed-method approach was adopted to address the research questions. 959 participants completed questionnaires, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. Furthermore, in-depth interviews were conducted with 10 selected participants to further validate the quantitative findings. The results demonstrate that culinary education significantly enhances public awareness and contributes positively to the development of local culinary culture. Local people's culinary culture positively benefited from both culinary education and public awareness. Although the culinary culture of local people does not significantly impact tourists’ social norms, both culinary education and public awareness have a strong and direct influence on these norms, as well as an indirect effect through the medium of culinary culture. Furthermore, the findings emphasize the necessity of strengthening educational programmes and conducting awareness campaigns centred on local culture to reinforce positive social norms and support sustainable rural tourism development.