Food waste of Chinese cruise passengers

Abstract

This paper investigates the food waste phenomenon concerning Chinese cruise passengers holidaying on international cruise ships. Data were collected through participant observation, casual conversation, and in-depth interviews with 76 Chinese respondents on three international cruise ships departing from Shanghai, China. The cruise ships offered all-inclusive pricing and most food was included. Food waste was common and serious. Food abundance and the all-inclusive nature of the cruise packages contributed to food waste. Further, onboard food waste was significantly influenced by Chinese culture, including food preference and the fear of missing out. Specifically, elderly passengers and those with a lower level of education were more likely to produce food waste. A conceptual framework explaining the phenomenon was developed as the outcome of this research.

Keywords:

• Food waste
• cruise tourism
• Chinese tourists
• Chinese culture
• fear of missing out
• sustainability

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Na Li

Na Li is a research fellow at the Hainan University-Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College at Hainan University (China). Her research interests are cruise tourism, cross-cultural tourism, and sustainable tourism.

Jiayu Wang

Jiayu Wang is a research fellow at the Hainan University-Arizona State University Joint International Tourism College at Hainan University (China). She is interested in ecotourism, climate policy, and cruise industry research.