Exploring the Accessibility of Food Festivals for Older Adults Through the Perspectives of Journey Experience, Value Chain, and Universal Design

This research explored the accessibility of food festivals to older adults through the lens of journey experience, value chain, and universal design. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 26 attendees of the Macao Food Festival were conducted. The results showed that in the pre-festival, consideration and embarking stages, equitable and accessible dissemination of information was important for the older attendees. In the consumption stage, accessible services and facilities, safety, and flexible food options were desired. In the post-festival phase, some follow-up services would help older attendees to recall their good memories at the festival and develop a feeling of social inclusivity. This study highlights the crucial roles of seamless integration of universally designed services and facilities at the various festival phases to ensure that older attendees’ festival journey experience is enhanced while fostering a more inclusive society. Practical implications were suggested.