Chapter I

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the background of the study: the scope and
delimitation of the study, the significance of the study, objectives of the study and
the definition of terms

Introduction

The global market is experiencing a wide range of transition in all areas i.e.
trade, travel, education, culture, and communication. This has resulted in a de-
construction of all standard methodologies and re-formation of new patterns of life
styles. The recent trend is to experiment a totally out of the box idea which is one
of its kind and its creative abilities to explore the world. This has led to an afresh
outlook of everything which once upon a time could have been unimaginable. This
paper presents to you, one such recent trend in the Food Industry which is known
as Food Tourism. This is also referred to as Culinary Tourism and focuses
specifically on the study of various varieties of food available globally. It is obvious
that to explore this variety it becomes essential for the researcher to travel across
the globe and discover the cuisines. Hence, this involves extreme travelling and
researching on the climatic conditions, cultural importance, habitat prominence,
natural resources and various other factors which influence the emergence of
these cuisines. Hence, the word Food Tourism or Culinary Tourism has emerged
portraying the combination of Food & Tourism which has resulted the innovation
of Food are not so prevalent but truly magnificent and deserve popularity.

Now a day’s Food Tourism plays a vital role in the tourism industry as it is
one of the major factors for selecting a tourist destination. Eating out is most
common for any tourist and more importantly they would want to explore the local
and traditional cuisine. The above provides for such information and gives a gist
of the destinations as we rightly say food says much about people.

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Statement of the Problem

The purpose of this study is to discuss the importance of Food Tourism and
how it can create career opportunities for the residents of Pune City.

Specifically, this study seeks to know the following information:

1. How aware are the local citizens of Pune Region about the concept of “Food
Tourism”?

2. To what extent in terms of career opportunities does Food Tourism affect

the people of Pune City.

3. What are the avenues for exploring Food Tourism and its contribution in
promoting local food?

4. Based on the analysis, what are the possible career opportunities that can
be made for the residents of Pune City through Food Tourism?

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The research focuses in culinary tourism emerging extensively every year.

With a sound increase in awareness of growing food channels, tourism shows are
featuring native and local cuisines, a number of food documentaries and culinary
travel shows an increase in consumers traveling to various destinations just to
enjoy a new food and wine experience. The rural or the not so popular areas of the
world have scope for developing economies through historical, cultural, natural,
and recreational assets. This could be used as a tool for popularizing their native
tourism industry and enhancing economic development strategically.

The study was purely based on the information received through the limited
scope and purview of survey.

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Objectives
The overall purpose of the study is to examine the importance of food
tourism and its impact on creating career opportunities and intend:
1. To enumerate the various career opportunities created due to food
tourism.
2. To understand the benefits of food tourism to the hospitality industry.
3. To analyze the factors influencing the sustainability of food tourism.

Significance of the Study

The aim of culinary tourism is to tutor and encourage food and wine fanatics
while giving the vacationer a chance to explore the local area and learn about local
food fashions, cooking procedures and their food history. Tourists can do so by
joining in a cultural immersion experience at preferred destinations around the
globe.

Definition of Terms

Food Tourism. Is simply a matter of traveling beyond your immediate

neighborhood to find great food. Of course, the further you are willing to travel, the
broader your range of culinary experiences will be.

Food Industry. Is a complex, global collective of diverse businesses that

supplies most of the food consumed by the world’s population.

Culinary Tourism. Is defined as the pursuit of unique and memorable

eating and drinking experiences. By combining travel with these edible
experiences, Culinary Tourism offers both and local tourist alike an authentic taste
of place in our beautiful province.

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 Food Consumption. The total amount of food available for consumption in
the household, generally excluding the food taken outside unless prepared at
home.

Global Market. The activity of buying or selling goods and services in all
the countries of the world, or the value of the goods and services sold.

Cuisine. Is a type of food that is cooked in a specific way based on a

culture’s ingredients, region, and traditions. If you’re craving cannoli, a visit to
Chinatown doesn’t make much sense, since cheese is more characteristic of
Italian cuisine.

Pune. A city of west-central India east-southeast of Mumbai. It was a

Maratha capital in the 1600s and 1700s and passed to the British in 1817.

Career. Is often composed of the jobs held, titles earned and work
accomplished over a long period of time, rather than just referring to one position.

Sustainability. Focuses on meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Opportunity. Is a situation in which it is possible for you to do something

that you want to do.

Entrepreneurial. Is starting and managing a business and taking financial

risks in the hopes of making a profit.

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 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the review of related literature and studies that
provide a background to the study conducted. This serves as a support for better
understanding of the research works and for the enhancement of one’s knowledge
of what this study is all about.

Related Literature

Morten Boesen, Donna Sundbo & Jon Sundbo (2017), the study had
investigated the question that why local food networks succeed or fail in
collaborating with local tourism. The article had focused on entrepreneurial local
food networks and their collaboration with local tourism. The study had
emphasized on the actions and attitude logics of local food networks and tourism
and whether their respective logics fit as a factor to explain why or why not
development of local food concepts lead to increased local tourism.

Joan C. Henderson (2009), The purpose of the paper was to review the
contribution of food to tourism with reference to importance of food tourism and the
factors which are critical to its success. The study suggests that Food is the subject
of various types of tourism product and is a common theme in marketing, by
business and by destination authorities. Tourism in which food plays a primary or
supporting role is already popular and has good prospects, but there are also
challenges for the food and tourism industries to overcome, which may vary from
destination to destination. The study reveals the opportunities that were suggested
as well as problems to be resolved by suppliers and marketers if the potential of
food tourism is to be fully exploited.

Tommy Anderson & Lena Mossberg (2017), The study had addressed
about the need for more awareness and knowledge about the growing number of
food tourists. The basic objective was to describe the effects of enduring food

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involvement on consumer behavior with regard to food consumption and travel.
The study had suggested five proposals about involvement having effects on
International Journal of Research in IT and Management (IJRIM).

According to Hall and Mitchell, 2000, Food is an important component in

tourism. Food as a significant attraction while people travel. Traditional food and
cuisine could be excellent tourist attraction in rural travel destinations and also
claimed that eating local cuisine might be an integral part of the travel experience
because food serves as both entertainment and a cultural activity. As a significant
component of contemporary lifestyles it should therefore be of little surprise that
specific forms of wine and food consumption have also become an important part
of tourism. Food is also described as any substance that provides the nutrients
necessary to maintain life and growth when ingested. Food without the appliance
of gastronomy is the style of art of cooking in a particular area. Food is of course,
a component of gastronomy but it is gastronomy’s subject whereas gastronomy is
the style of procedure for preparing food. In some instances, gastronomy can
represent a key feature of importance in the attractiveness of a tourist area. The
catering industry is often a vital component of the lure to tourist as to represent a
substantial amount of the overall attraction. In many European and Asian countries
there is a strong gastronomic tradition and this represents an important element in
tourist decision making. If the gastronomy tradition is strong, this means that life-
style and participation of the inhabitants in maintaining their way of life is reflected
in their appreciation of their traditional food. Appreciation of wine and food is a very
subjective experience that is based on individual sensory perception, experience,
tastes and attitudes. The food tourist experience is shaped by the subjective nature
of the individual consumer. Regionality is clearly important, particularly in term of
promoting the attributes of food and tourism product of a given place. This makes
food an essential constituent of tourism production as well as consumption. Such
developments have spurred an interest in experiencing the unique and indigenous
food, food products and cuisines of a destination, so much so that people are often
traveling to a destination specifically to experience the local cuisines or to taste the
dishes of its ‘celebrity chef’.

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 Food is a significant means to penetrate into another culture (Long, 1998).

Local food is a fundamental component of a destination’s attributes, adding

to the range of attractions and the overall tourist experience (Symons, 1999).

Traveling for food has taken an entirely new meaning form what it used to
when voyages were undertaken for spice trade, but voyagers still carried dried
food, as the local cuisines were looked upon with suspicion (Tannahill, 1988).

According to Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarian, local food or cuisines that are

unique to an area are one of the distinctive resources that may be used as
marketing tools to get more visitors. The growth of eating out as a form of
consumption and the market forces of globalization have made the food products
and cuisines from all over the world more accessible. Food has always been a
powerful motivation for almost all human activities and sitting at a richly decked
able is a gratification common to people of any social condition.

The understanding of the importance of food as significant component in

tourism is nowadays well accepted. The tourist pursue of striking experience is a
basic driving force, and the attempt of developing features that can be recognized
as distinguishing characteristics that could make it more appealing for visitors is a
common effort of every tourism destination. Once the tourists have a good culinary
experience, especially satisfaction level, the like of revisiting is high. The significant
relationships suggest that food images and food attributes satisfaction are to be
the key factor in heightening tourist behavior intentions. Major differences in world
cuisines can be traced to ecological restraints and opportunities that differ from
one region to another (Harris, 1985).

McIntosh and Goelder (1990) tourists enjoy native food, particularly the
products of local or ethnic nature. The knowledge of local, regional and national
cuisine is of great interest for every tourist and is an important part of the tourist
experience; palate satisfaction is at the first place among the pleasures of a
travelling experience. The impression that the traveler retains strongly influences
the value and memory of the trip, not only from the restaurant visited, but also

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everything experienced during the trip. The aftertaste of a vacation period is
strongly individual, affected mostly by immaterial factors where the boundary
between self and enjoyment of the vacation is almost invisible. It is very difficult to
find the right level to reach the tourist demand and more to satisfy it.

Based from the International Culinary Tourism Association, culinary

tourism is the pursuit of unique and memorable eating and drinking experiences.
This means there is a particular audience of people who are willing to travel the
world in order to sample and experience authentic international cuisines. Culinary
tourism, an exploratory relationship to the edible world, is the subject of this
beautifully conceived book. Whether we go to food or food comes to us, the nature
of the encounter is what defines a food experience as culinary tourism. Culinary
tourism is about food as a subject, destination and vehicle for tourism. It is about
individual exploring foods new to them as well as using food to sell their histories
and to construct marketable and publicly attractive identities, and it is about
individual satisfying curiosity. Culinary tourism is not only appealing to tourists, but
also contributes to the social, economic and environmental development of a
destination (Corigliano, 2002).

Experience also the power to modify our eating preferences and tastes as
well as imbue us with experience of the culture that we are visiting. It’s normal that
we should experience pleasure as an essential part of a holiday experience and
that dining out should be a pleasurable and memorable part of that experience.
The growth of culinary tourism is seen as an outcome of a trend where people
spend much less time cooking, but choose to pursue their interest in food as a part
of a leisure experience such as watching cooking shows, dining out. Food and
tourism have a close relationship and food is a critical tourism resource
(Henderson, 2004; Quan and Wang, 2004).

According to the Travel Industry Association (TIA), culinary tourism is a

growing travel trend. For these type of tourist, food and beverage consumption
does not only satisfy hunger and thirsty but important for them such consumption,
knowledge about local regional cuisine, wine, and beverage and of the destination

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culture. The existential culinary tourists avoid expensive restaurant not only
because of the price but also because the extravagant décor and service that often
happens (Finkelstein, 1989).

The potential of niche or special interest tourism such as culinary tourism

as a trip generator has been questioned by some researchers. What is known is
that food is an experiential tourist component of any tourist experience; there are
tourists that will seek out food related activities at a destination instead of going to
other attractions and that some tourists travel just for food. Culinary travel is travel
to learn about or enjoy unique and memorable eating and drinking experience, not
necessarily just those that are exclusive or highly acclaimed, but all memorable
eating and drinking experiences (McKercher and Chan, 2005).

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 CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the discussion of research methodology covering the

research design, respondents of the study, research instruments used, data
gathering procedures and data analysis plan.

Research Design

The study used the descriptive approach. Descriptive research may be

characterized as simply the attempt or identify “what is” rather than to attempts to
establish “why is that way or how it came to be” (Ethridge, 2004). The research
described the importance of food tourism and its impact on creating career
opportunities. Quantitative data were gathered through the use of a survey
questionnaire. These were processed to generate information showing the
importance of Food Tourism and its impact on Creating Career Opportunities in
society.

Respondents of the Study

The respondents for this research defined to include food establishment

owners, managerial and other staff members which will cover almost all group of
employees working in the service and corporate sectors. Most of them had several
years in the Food Tourism industry and learning therefore, they are in the best
position to furnish the researcher with the information needed to answer.

Research Instrument Used

The researcher designed two research instruments namely, survey and

interview for this study. The respondents of the study are interviewed with specific

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questions that are aimed to eliciting relevant information concerning the
importance of Food Tourism and its impact on Creating Career Opportunities.
Questions relating to the different techniques in promoting the food tourism
industry as well as how it creates opportunities for people are asked. A
questionnaire is created that tackles the details of the importance of food tourism
and its impact on creating career opportunities. The researchers used a mixture of
closed questions and more open comments in the questionnaire. A closed
question is one that has pre-coded answers. Through closed questions, the
researcher will be able to limit the responses that are within the scope of this study.
The primary aim of the questionnaire is to gathered relevant data that can help in
this study.

Data Gathering Procedures

The methods of collecting data in this study are the through the use of
survey questionnaires and interviews. The primary source of the data came from
the responses of the food establishment owners, managerial and other staff
members. The main data gathering instrument used in this study is the survey
questionnaire based on the objectives and research problems on the importance
of food tourism and its impact on creating career opportunities. Interview is also
conducted to improve the data instrument as well as to provide inputs on the
validity of the questionnaire. The questionnaires are distributed personally and
retrieved as soon as the respondents accomplished them.

However, in the preparation of the questionnaire it undergoes the necessary

validation procedure to assure that the data intended to be gathered will be useful
for the study. The researchers prepared the questionnaires in a manner in which
it could be self-administered so that the respondents will be able to answer with
less help from others or no assistance at all. The questionnaires distributed
personally at a time convenient for the respondents so as not to interfere with their

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normal work schedule. The questionnaires retrieved from the respondents shall be
properly labelled to facilitate the tabulation process.

Data Analysis Plan

The data collected was analyzed using basic and advanced analytical tools.
This also includes the detailed analysis of the data which was conducted with the
purpose of attaining the set objectives of the research. The data analyze through
the following procedures.

1. Mean
Mean was used to assess the importance of food tourism and its
impact on creating career opportunities. It was interpreted as follows:

Table 1. Mean Interpretation

Range Interpretation

1.00-1.49 Strongly Disagree

1.50-2.49 Disagree

2.50-3.49 Moderate

3.50-4.49 Agree

4.50-5.00 Strongly Agree

2. Pearson Correlation

To determine whether the importance of food tourism is

significantly related to creating career opportunities, Pearson correlation
was used to determine the degree of relationship between the importance
of food tourism and creating career opportunities. It was interpreted as
follows:

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Table 2. Pearson Correlation Interpretation
Coefficient Interpretation

0.00 - ± 0.19 Very weak positive (negative) relationship

±.20 - ±.39 Weak positive (negative) relationship

±.40 - ±.59 Moderate positive (negative) relationship

±.60 - ±.79 Strong positive (negative) relationship

±.80 - ±1.0 Very strong positive (negative) relationship

3. Regression Analysis

Linear regression analysis was performed to ascertain if the

independent variable has a significant effect to the dependent variable. This
was used to predict the value of the dependent variable. A p-value that is
less than or equal to .05 would mean significant effect; otherwise not
significant effect.

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