LINKING TOURISM INTENSITY TO FOOD WASTE GENERATION IN EUROPE: INSIGHTS FROM A CROSS-COUNTRY ASSESSMENT

Tourism activities are frequently assumed to be a major driver of food waste generation, particularly in hospitality-intensive destinations; however, empirical evidence quantifying this relationship at the European level remains limited and fragmented.Existing studies often focus on case-specific hotel operations, providing limited comparative insight into tourism-food waste dynamics across countries.The objectives of this study are to: (1) assess cross-country differences in tourism intensity and hospitality-related food waste generation within the European Union (EU-27); (2) examine the strength and direction of the relationship between tourism intensity and food waste generation; and (3) identify patterns suggesting the influence of structural and organisational factors beyond tourism intensity.The analysis is based on harmonized secondary data from Eurostat, including indicators on tourism intensity and food waste generated in retail and food services.Descriptive statistics, country rankings, and correlation analyses are employed to explore patterns and associations between tourism activity and food waste generation.The results demonstrate pronounced cross-country heterogeneity within the European Union.Although certain tourism-intensive destinations are associated with higher levels of hospitality-related food waste, the overall relationship between tourism intensity and food waste generation is weak to moderate.In particular, several countries with moderate tourism intensity generate relatively high levels of food waste, while others with intense tourism activity report comparatively low waste generation, indicating the influence of structural, organizational, and governance factors beyond the scale of tourism activity itself.Overall, the findings indicate that higher levels of tourism activity do not necessarily translate into increased food waste generation.Through a systematic comparison across EU countries, this study enhances empirical understanding of tourism-related food waste and provides a solid basis for the development of targeted, circular-economy-oriented sustainability strategies in the hospitality sector.