ANVESHAK-International Journal of Management

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

The Potential of Culinary Tourism in India


Affiliations
1 Department of Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, India
2 Department of Hotel Management, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


With the branding of India as a tourist destination, the role food plays in attracting tourists is attracting attention. This is because of the symbiotic relationship between food and tourism. A tourist destination's cuisine plays an important role in determining the quality of the overall tourism experience. Countries such as France, Italy and Thailand which are known for their unique food have been using their cuisine as an effective promotional and positioning tool for many years now. This paper hypothesizes that the potential of culinary tourism in India is enormous. This is not only because of its uniqueness but also because of its sheer diversity with flavours changing every 200 kilometres across the country (Mohanty, 2014). Nevertheless, people do not visit India more for its history, art and culture. There is a general perception amongst foreign tourists that Indian food is extremely spicy and unsuitable for their palates. Other issues are related to hygiene and safety. The purpose of this paper is to explore these perceptions amongst foreign tourists in India, understand their views on Indian food, their likes and dislikes. On the basis of these findings this research will clarify whether, in addition to all its other manifold attractions, India's cuisine has potential to draw tourists to the country. Here, food becomes the primary attraction and the main motivator for a visit to the country. Whether this potential exists with respect to Indian cuisine will be explored. A quantitative approach will be used including theoretical and experimental methods. The theoretical method will explore literature on Indian cuisine and what other researchers have discovered on tourist perception on Indian food. The experimental method includes administering a questionnaire to foreign tourists in Bangalore and Chennai to understand their views on Indian food. The data analysis tool will be Microsoft Excel. On the basis of the findings of the data analysis, the author will identify the perceptions of foreigners on Indian food, the impediments that possible hamper their enthusiasm for sampling Indian cuisine, what will change their perceptions and also make recommendations on how Indian food can become one of the main reasons for foreign tourists to visit India.

Keywords

Culinary Tourism, Indian Cuisine, Perception, Motivator, Promotion, Uniqueness.
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • AbKarim, S. and Chi, A.G. (2010), “Culinary Tourism as Destination Attraction: an Empirical Examination of Destinations’ Food Image”, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Vol. 19, pp. 531–555.

  • Bardhi, F., Ostberg, J. and Bengtsson, A. (2010), “Negotiating Cultural Boundaries: Food, Travel and Consumer Identities”, Consumption Markets and Culture, Vol.13(2), pp. 133–157

  • Bhasin, S.K., Shruti, G., Rahul, S. and Singh, N.P. (2009), “Hygiene Status and Food handling Practices among Street Food Vendors in East Delhi: An Observational Study”, Journal of Communicable Diseases, Vol. 41(4), pp. 229–237.

  • Burusnukul, P., Binkley, M. and Sukalakamala, P. (2011), “Understanding Tourists’ Patronage of Thailand Foodservice Establishments”, British Food Journal, Vol. 113(8), pp. 965–981.

  • Chang, R.C.Y., Kivela, J. and Mak, A.H.N. (2011)”, “Attributes that Influence the Evaluation of Travel Dining Experience: When East Meets West”, Journal of Tourism Management, Vol. 32, pp. 307–316.

  • Choudhury, M., Mahanta, L.B., Goswami, J.S. and Mazumdar, M.D. (2011), “Will Capacity Building training Interventions given to Street Food Vendors give us Safer Food: A Cross-sectional Study from India”, Food Control, Vol. 22, pp. 1233–1239

  • Crofts, A.V. (2010), “Silver Lining: Building a Shared SUDANESE Identity through Food”, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture, Vol. 10(1), pp. 110–116.

  • D’Antuono, L.F. and Bignami, C. (2012), “Perception of Typical Ukrainian Foods among an Italian Population”, Food Quality and Preference, Vol. 25, pp. 1–8.

  • Dawson, A.C. (2012), “Food and Spirits: Religion, Gender, and Identity in the ‘African’ Cuisine of Northeast Brazil”, African and Black Diaspora: An International Journal, Vol. 5(2), pp. 243–263.

  • Elliott, S., Papadopoulos, N. and Kim, S.S. (2011), “An Integrative Model of Place Image: Exploring Relationships between Destination, Product, and Country Images”, Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 50(5), pp. 520–534.

  • Irimiás, A. (2010), “Budapest’s Thermal Spas on Screen”, Health, Wellness and Tourism: Proceedings of the TTRA 2010 European Chapter Conference, Budapest, Hungary.

  • Kim, H.J. (2011), “Service Orientation, Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Customer Loyalty: Testing a Structural Model”, Journal of Hospitality Marketing and Management, Vol. 20, pp. 619–637.

  • Lee, L.E., Niode, O., Simonne, A.H., Bruhn, C.M. (2012) Consumer perceptions on food safety in Asian and Mexican restaurants. Food Control, Vol. 26, pp. 531-538.

  • Long, L.M. (2004), Culinary Tourism. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky.

  • Molz, J.G. (2007), “Eating Difference. The Cosmopolitan Mobilities of Culinary Tourism”, Space and Culture, Vol. 10(1), pp. 77–93.

  • Mohanty, P.P. (2014), “Culinary Tourism in India: An Emerging Concept”, Journal of Research in Management & Technology, Vol. 3, pp. 1–10.

  • Shah, G.D. and Dongre, R. (2014), “Food Tourism”, International Journal of Informative and Futuristic Research, Vol. 1, pp. 1–9.

  • Ryu, K. and Han, H. (2010), “Predicting Tourists’ Intention to Try Local Cuisine using a Modified Theory of Reasoned Action: The Case of New Orleans”, Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, Vol. 27, pp. 491-506.

  • Tsai, C.T., Lu, P.H. (2012), “Authentic dining Experiences in Ethnic Theme Restaurants”, International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol. 31, pp. 304–306.


Abstract Views: 1157

PDF Views: 1




  • The Potential of Culinary Tourism in India

Abstract Views: 1157  |  PDF Views: 1

Authors

Sherry Abraham
Department of Tourism Studies, Pondicherry University, India
R. K. Kannan
Department of Hotel Management, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India

Abstract


With the branding of India as a tourist destination, the role food plays in attracting tourists is attracting attention. This is because of the symbiotic relationship between food and tourism. A tourist destination's cuisine plays an important role in determining the quality of the overall tourism experience. Countries such as France, Italy and Thailand which are known for their unique food have been using their cuisine as an effective promotional and positioning tool for many years now. This paper hypothesizes that the potential of culinary tourism in India is enormous. This is not only because of its uniqueness but also because of its sheer diversity with flavours changing every 200 kilometres across the country (Mohanty, 2014). Nevertheless, people do not visit India more for its history, art and culture. There is a general perception amongst foreign tourists that Indian food is extremely spicy and unsuitable for their palates. Other issues are related to hygiene and safety. The purpose of this paper is to explore these perceptions amongst foreign tourists in India, understand their views on Indian food, their likes and dislikes. On the basis of these findings this research will clarify whether, in addition to all its other manifold attractions, India's cuisine has potential to draw tourists to the country. Here, food becomes the primary attraction and the main motivator for a visit to the country. Whether this potential exists with respect to Indian cuisine will be explored. A quantitative approach will be used including theoretical and experimental methods. The theoretical method will explore literature on Indian cuisine and what other researchers have discovered on tourist perception on Indian food. The experimental method includes administering a questionnaire to foreign tourists in Bangalore and Chennai to understand their views on Indian food. The data analysis tool will be Microsoft Excel. On the basis of the findings of the data analysis, the author will identify the perceptions of foreigners on Indian food, the impediments that possible hamper their enthusiasm for sampling Indian cuisine, what will change their perceptions and also make recommendations on how Indian food can become one of the main reasons for foreign tourists to visit India.

Keywords


Culinary Tourism, Indian Cuisine, Perception, Motivator, Promotion, Uniqueness.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.15410/aijm%2F2015%2Fv4i2%2F67724