Slow food events as a high yield strategy for rural tourism destinations: The case of Bario, Sarawak

Purpose: For years, the community in Bario has chosen to organize a slow food and cultural festival annually to draw tourists to Bario. The aim of this paper is to explore the staging of slow food events as a high-yield strategy for rural tourism destinations and how they can be used to move a destination up the value chain in responsible rural tourism practices. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted an interpretative approach. Participant observation and 15 in-depth interviews with local and foreign tourists were conducted to elicit responses before, during and after the event. In addition, photography and videography were also employed. Findings: Findings revealed that the event was seen by many as a catalyst for the provision and development of infrastructural development. More importantly, 67 percent of the foreign tourists interviewed state that the price of goods and services at the event are reasonable and affordable, given the unique cultural experience during the festival in Bario. These findings imply that such an event has potential in generating higher yield for a rural destination. However, findings also show that the event could be better marketed and managed. Originality/value: A significant contribution of this study is its exploration of the use of slow food events in a rural destination as a strategy in generating high yield for a rural tourism destination. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.