"A Study on the Role of Airline Catering in the Communication of Sino-Italian Food Culture under the Background of 2022 China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism - A Case Study of China Eastern Airlines", the research report jointly conducted by experts and scholars from Nankai University, China and Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy, was released at a webinar on Nov. 17.

The webinar brought together representatives from government bodies, think tanks, and enterprises, including the Chinese Embassy in Italy, the Italian Embassy in China, China National Tourism Administration Rome Office, the Institute of European Studies of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Institute on Italy of the Chinese Association for European Studies, and China Eastern Airlines (CEAir).

In the context of 2022 China-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism, the study innovatively took airline catering as the breakthrough point to explore the positive role and development opportunities of food culture in promoting cultural integration and mutual learning between China and Italy. The report has provided guidance and valuable ideas for the upgrade of international airline catering and improvement of CEAir’s service quality.

Citing airline food served in CEAir's flight as successful case of cultural communication, the report points out that airline food has the natural advantage of facilitating international communication and plays a significant role in promoting cultural communication in the tourism sector. In recent years, China Eastern has been committed to adding the most representative and homesick food from all over the world to the list of airline meals, in an effort to awaken the taste buds of tourists and comfort the homesickness of travelers.

At the webinar, representatives of China and Italy jointly expressed the vision of promoting tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Yu Qinglian, General Manager of CHINA EASTERN CATERING CORPORATION, said that they will continue to provide better services for global travelers and contribute to intercultural communication. On Oct. 27, 2022, China Eastern launched a direct flight from Wenzhou, China to Rome, Italy, creating more opportunities for multi-field communication and cooperation between China and Italy.