Abstract:

During a week of focused ethnographic immersion in Paris, I began to notice patterns that extended beyond exceptional cuisine. Meals unfolded slowly without pressure to vacate tables. Servers worked with composure rather than dependency on gratuities. Conversations about food frequently turned to sourcing, seasonality, and redistribution of surplus. These observations prompted a broader inquiry: how does a destination embed impact, innovation, and inclusion within everyday hospitality practice? Drawing on participant observation, informal interviews, and reflexive field notes collected across cafés, restaurants, and hospitality education settings, this study examines Paris as a destination case where governance frameworks and cultural traditions intersect in lived service environments. I explore how France’s service wage policy, national food waste legislation, apprenticeship systems, and sustainability-oriented culinary norms shape operational decision-making and service identity. Findings suggest that Parisian hospitality moves beyond transactional service models by embedding relational tempo, labor dignity, gender-inclusive entrepreneurship, and experiential workforce development within broader institutional structures. Innovation, in this context, is not confined to digital transformation; it emerges through structural protections, community partnerships, and culturally grounded service rituals. Women-led enterprises further demonstrate how small-scale entrepreneurship aligns with destination-wide sustainability objectives. Tracing the connection between macro-level governance and micro-level service encounters, this research illustrates how collective thriving is enacted through patterned, relational practice. The analysis demonstrates that impact, innovation, and inclusion become tangible within everyday hospitality interactions rather than remaining aspirational policy commitments. In doing so, the study contributes to destination development scholarship through an ethnographic account of how culturally grounded practices, labor protections, and entrepreneurial leadership converge to sustain resilient hospitality ecosystems.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Tourism and Hospitality Experience Management

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Prof Desa Tobin-Nairn