Unforgettable Food Experiences: A Model for Constructing Rural Tourism Cooking Experience Classrooms

The aim of this study is to establish the key factors for the development of cooking classes in Taiwan’s rural bed and breakfasts (B&Bs) to address the gaps in Taiwan’s research on this topic and contribute new knowledge to the development of Taiwan’s B&B industry. This study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM) was used to collect expert opinions and construct indicators; in the second stage, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to analyse the importance of indicators. The research results indicated that the most important factor for the development of cooking classes at rural B&Bs is “homestay management”, of which environmental hygiene and cleanliness are the most important indicators. This study fills the research gap related to gourmet and cooking tourism within the B&B industry, and the most notable contribution of this study is the identification of the key factors for the development of cooking classes at rural B&Bs. In addition, this study serves as a reference for the development of new business types in the B&B industry in Taiwan. The criteria of this study were evaluated by experts in various fields. Because the development of food tourism and cooking classes in Taiwan is still a novel topic, there may be many aspects that have not yet been explored, which is the most notable limitation of this study.