Critical success factors for food tourism destinations: A socio‐cultural perspective

Abstract

Eating the food of other cultures is fraught with many problems underpinned by many factors chief among them being sociocultural background. The study, therefore, through a socio-cultural perspective, examines the factors necessary for food tourism development and promotion from tourists' perspectives. Using the tenets of grounded theory, 40 international tourists were interviewed at Cape Coast, Ghana. It was found that sensory characteristics and mediated by factors such as cultural/ worldviews influence local food consumption. The findings support the position that the socio-cultural background of tourists affects their evaluation of a destination's food, hence consumption. Implications of the study are also drawn.

International tourists’ local African food consumption

“…While this result may contradict the findings of studies in other contexts, the finding was somewhat expected based on the evidence offered by previous studies conducted in the local context. Earlier studies (Adongo et al , 2015; Hiamey et al , 2021) have confirmed the willingness of international tourists to consume local food in Ghana as part of their search for authentic experiences. However, concerns regarding the spiciness, perceived unwholesomeness and perceived susceptibility to illnesses have been identified as “inhibitors” of tourists’ local food consumption in Ghana (Amuquandoh, 2011; Adongo et al , 2015).…”

“…The present paper, therefore, addresses the evident knowledge gap by applying the an attribute–benefit–value–intention (ABVI) framework, as an extension of the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) theory, to international tourists’ local food consumption experiences in an indigenous African context. Within Africa, Ghana presents a suitable study setting as, in addition to its heritage attractions, it is known for its unique local gastronomy (Adongo et al , 2015; Hiamey et al , 2021; Kim et al , 2020) and is receiving an increasing number of tourists who have interests in local food exploration (Ghana Tourism Authority, 2019). Given that previous studies on tourists’ local food consumption have focused primarily on the West and the South-East Asian region, an African context expands this area of research, helping to understand the complexity of the global food tourism market.…”

Variations in Microstructural and Physicochemical Properties of Soy Wax/Soybean Oil-Derived Oleogels Using Soy Lecithin

“…Color, in addition to flavor and texture, is an essential factor in determining the sensory qualities of food products [ 41 ]. As a result, color is an important component of visual appearance, influencing and underpinning assumptions about the predicted smell and taste [ 42 ]. The presence of various ingredients used to make the oleogels governs their final coloration.…”

Contemporary issues and future trends in food tourism

“…Fourth , Hiamey et al (2020) assessed the factors necessary for food tourism development and promotion from a tourist perspective based by deploying grounded theory and participant interviews. In doing so, the authors concluded that the socio‐cultural background of ‘the tourist’ affects their evaluation of a destination's food offering, and consumption enacted therein.…”