The local food supply, willingness to pay and the sustainability of an island destination

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the trend toward purchasing locally grown food and evaluate if tourists visiting Hawai'i are willing to pay more for locally produced foods that are more ecologically sustainable.Design/methodology/approachA research questionnaire was developed in order to investigate the attitudes and behaviors of tourists from the continental United States visiting Hawai'i in purchasing locally grown food in Hawai'i. The final sample includes 454 valid survey responses collected via Momentive, a market research services company.FindingsAccording to the findings of this study, there are economic prospects to expand the use of locally cultivated food into the tourists' experience, as well as a willingness for tourists to support these activities financially. The Contingent Valuation study revealed that tourists from the continental United States were ready to pay a higher price to purchase food that is locally grown, signifying that tourists to Hawai'i are willing to aid the local agriculture business by increasing their restaurant/hotel meal bill, which will help Hawai'i become a more sustainable tourist destination.Research limitations/implicationsWhile tourists from the United States mainland, which is the “an islands” top tourist market, have agreed with paying extra or an additional fee for locally grown food products, this study might not accurately represent the attitudes and behaviors of international tourists visiting Hawai'i. Future research should focus on the international tourist markets which may have different social norms or cultural differences thus could provide a broader spectrum of the current study's findings.Originality/valueThe results of this study provided quantitative evidence that tourists from the United States are interested in purchasing locally grown food items in Hawaii in addition to their willingness to pay an additional fee for these locally grown food products at a restaurant or a hotel dining room, thus addressing a gap in the tourism research.

How Do Food Neophobia and Neophilia Moderate the Effect of Local Food Quality on Dining Satisfaction and Post-Dining Behavioral Intention in the Perspective of Sustainable Gastronomy Tourism?

“…In addition, LFQP may influence other aspects of the dining experience. For example, a study by Linnes et al (2022) [25] revealed that consumers who eat at local restaurants feel more connected to their community, and this leads consumers to have higher levels of DS.…”

Palate vs plate: segmenting restaurant consumers through food quality and portion size trade-offs

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Tourism Well-Being and Transitioning Island Destinations for Sustainable Development

“…Oahu, the most visited island in the state of Hawaii, generates $7.7 billion of the overall tourism dollars, with Maui generating the second highest amount of tourism dollars with $3.5 billion (Hawaii Tourism Authority 2020). For years, Hawaii has depended on the tourism industry as the leading employer as well as the economic engine and its main source of income for Hawaii's economy (Agrusa 1994;Linnes et al 2014). The tourism industry accounted for over 150,000 employment opportunities for the state of Hawaii in 2017 (Department of Business and Economic Development and Tourism 2018).…”