1.

Introduction

Tourism industry is a largest growing industry. It usually promoted by a country for

increase economic development and cut down the inequalities in income distribution. It can
create sales and output, employment retribution and service, exchange earnings, balance of
payments advantages and important infrastructure developments to benefit locals and tourists
similarly in a nation, a state, a city and other local areas. Efforts to make the most of the
economic benefits derived from tourism in destination areas have focused on marketing and
management strategies to increase the number of tourists, their length of stay and their overall
expenditures.

Food is one of the main attractions required by tourists in their craving for fresh and
memorable experiences. On the other hand, food is a very much unobserved and unsung
section of the tourism literature. Normally, food is stickled together with accommodation in
compilations of tourism statistics, partially perhaps because of it being usually part of another
attraction, and because of it being a needed component of survival no matter where a person
is located. In addition, the contribution of food to the tourism economy is very considerable
importance and because of their demanding use of labor, food preparation and service
contribute very heavily to the tourism employment sector.

Food tourism can be regarded as a form of niche or alternative tourism and because of
increasing competition and a change in tourist wants in terms of destination experience, is
now more often being included as a new or additional sector in the travel and tourism
businesses (Poon, 1993). This condition affords food tourism the opportunity to be an
important source of marketable images and experiences for the tourist, reinforcing the
competitiveness and sustainability of the destination. The food and tourism industries benefit
from this interactions, as local and regional food products become an important means of
selling the identity and culture of a destination and enables food producers to add value to
their products by creating a tourism experience around the raw materials.

Food tourism also can be briefly described as the opportunity to market value added produce
to visitors and tourists within a district who will consider local food as a part of their visit
experience. The local food plan provides it and factor of experience as part of the visit to a
region which presents opportunities for producers and suppliers. This chance has been known
and highlighted by tourism agencies and through the enterprise network and ongoing
initiatives seek to take advantage of the combination of natural beauty and product.

Culinary tourism is one of the important components of the rapidly growing cultural tourism
market. It introduces tourists to new experience and different traditions associated with the
preparation, serving, and consuming of foods and beverages.

The factors fuelling the culinary tourism experience include growing interest in speciality
food and beverages associated with multicultural societies like Asia countries as well as
culture-specific product sampling. For instance, the mixing of different cultures has led to
increased superiority in tastes and expectations and has raised tourist’s interest about different
cuisines. By the requisition, some hotels or inns may suggest their guests’ samples of local
food and drink (e.g. a bottle of locally produced wine) thus helping the customers associates
them with the particular culture or destination.

2. Food, Culture and Tourism

2.1 What Do Restaurants Do?

An exclusive food and drink experience has the power to attract tourists like museums,
leisure and shopping. Now the Food Tourism is the hottest niche to emerge within the travel
industry in years because dining is one of the best ways that visitors can get to know a new
and exotic environment. It is because the local foods and recipes are major parts of what
makes one place different from another, restaurants should create exclusive and outstanding
food and drink experiences to build inspiration and develop a competitive advantage.

The tourists can be a visitor who has travelled to town specifically to dine at your restaurant.
A culinary tourist can also be a business traveller who decides to dine at restaurant. Nearly a
hundred percents of tourists dine out when travelling and dining is constantly one of the top
three most wanted by tourist’s activities. Unlike other travel actions and attractions, cuisine is
available year and year, any time of day and in any weather.

2.1.1 How to Promote?

It is important that restaurant take full advantage of the regions food tourism opportunities by
establishing itself as a unique and memorable dining destination that locals will refer visitors
to and tourists will want to return to again and again. A. Parking

Limited parking will destroy the food tourism. Most of the guests are likely to pass over to
restaurant if they really can’t find a suitable place to park. Make it easy for guests to get
though the front door by providing a lot of parking places and a complimentary valet service
or point out a place where parking is available. B.

New Ideas

One of the main reasons that food tourism is an idea that tourists can get something at the
restaurant or in the city that they can’t get back to home. The restaurant should take
advantage of this idea by spot a local or regional speciality and creating an own version of it.
C. Relationship with Local Residents

The local resident base can be the restaurant’s greatest food tourism ambassadors. One of the
top question tourists ask locals when visiting a new place is “Where is a good place to eat
around here?” If the restaurant builds loyalty with locals, probability are they will direct
tourists to visit the restaurant. D. Being Together as a Unit to Increase Business

When it comes to food tourism, do not observe other restaurant as competition. Partner with
other local restaurants to create a food event or festival that will benefit the city’s whole
dining scene. Being together with other restaurants can make a larger impact than one
restaurant could afford on their own. E. Benefits

Food tourism has the power to generate cooperate marketing opportunities for local
restaurants and build a branding for the restaurant regionally and countrywide. Name
recognition often opens the doors. The restaurant may consider organizing cellar door sales or
create their own line of customized products that can serve as another major source of
revenue.

2.2 Food Tourism as Destination Marketing

Food is seldom take part of the key reason for visiting a destination and the most often is
considered as part of the overall destination experience (Long, 2003). On the other hand, food
is becoming one of the most significant attractions as tourists explore a new and authentic
experiences and alternative forms of tourism (Selwood, 2003).

It is very inconsistency that crating the opportunity for food tourism to become an important
and appealing attraction in a destination. The destination can improve the demand of its
income and attractions by marketing them accurately. This would include product
development, packaging, positioning and the promotion of the attraction.

Food tourism is regarded as one of the attractions existing in a destination and can
consequently make up the part of the destination marketing strategy of a destination. From
the previous perspectives, it is obviously that destination marketing and food tourism are
linked. No destination can ignore the importance of food as either a key or more often a
supportive attraction.

2.2.1 Competitiveness

The role of food tourism to the sustainable competitiveness of a destination entails the
identification, development and functioning of food tourism enhancers to achieve destination
competitiveness. The concept of sustainable competitiveness adopted in this note is that of
(Ritchie & Crouch, 2003) which entails the ability to increase tourism expenditure by
attracting a larger number of tourists, providing them with satisfying, memorable
experiences, profitably, while enhancing the well-being of destination residents and
preserving the natural capital of the destination for future generations. Sustainable
competitiveness of the destination is therefore of prime concern.

Food tourism is one of the contributions of a destination that can improve existing tourism
products, as it fits to the definition of being a combination of individual products, services
and experience opportunities. As an offering food tourism is a compilation of products and
services of most of the attractions and resources as portrayed in the literature. Food tourism is
a combination of natural features, culture, services, infrastructure, access, attitudes toward
tourists and uniqueness. It can increase the total experience of the destination even further as
it is the only product that can be experienced using all the human senses, therefore become
deeper to the tourism experience even more. Food as a tourism product and experience can
contribute to the competitiveness of the destination if suitably developed and executed.

2.2.2 Benefits and Impacts

Local and regional food as one of the important components of food tourism holds great
potential to contribute to sustainable competitiveness in a destination, both from a tourism
development and a destination marketing perspective. The promotion of local and regional
food is an efficient way of supporting and corroboration the tourism and rural sectors of local
economies by: preserving gastronomic heritage and adding value to the genuineness of the
destination; enlargement and enhancing the local and regional tourism resource base; and
motivating agricultural production.

The development of an outline and strategy for developing and implementing food tourism
can allow destination marketers and forthcoming entrepreneurs to improve the tourism
potential of local and regional food. The need of the framework is to allow the stakeholders
to cooperate and accomplish the effective performance of marketing strategies regarding food
tourism.

Many tourists are influenced by the value and category of accommodation and food on offer
and although food does not usually form an attraction in its own right, it is an essential part of
almost every vacation and can add to the overall attractiveness of the destination.

2.2.3 International Trends

Food tourism globally remains a form of niche or alternative tourism, based on agriculture,
culture and the tourism infrastructure. It is generally linked to cultural or heritage tourism and
although it forms an important component of tourism, is still in many countries very much a
less promoted attraction. However, as previously mentioned, the attention food tourism is
receiving is growing for various reasons such as changing consumer needs, environmental
awareness and destination competitiveness and sustainability (Ritchie & Crouch, 2003).

The global and local initiatives provide sufficient reason to encourage Destination
Management Organisations to develop similar and competitive food tourism products and
activities in their own destinations.

2.2.4 The Key Tasks of Marketing Management

The execution of a series of key management and marketing tasks and constitutes the part
where food tourism will be developed and implemented in the destination marketing and
management strategy of a specific destination. * Prioritising Products and Markets
Information from the situational analysis and strategic evaluation is used to apply criteria for
identifying, developing and implementing food tourism in a destination in terms of the key
food tourism attractions to be focused on. * Positioning and Branding

This task entails the identification and implementation of the steps to take regarding the
positioning and branding of food tourism in the destination. * Packaging and Routing

The options regarding packaging and routing for a destination are identified with the aim of
enhancing the attractiveness and contributing to the competitiveness and sustainability of the
destination.

2.2.5 The Utilisation of Food as a Tourism Attraction

Although food tourism was being developed and included as an attraction in various
destinations, it still receives minimal attention in destination marketing. Focused strategies
therefore need to be developed and implemented to address the underutilisation of food as a
marketing tool in destination marketing.

2.2.6 The Need of Framework for Food Tourism

Besides the actions that can be taken to enhance food tourism in a destination, the study
furthermore indicated the need for a framework to develop and implement food tourism in a
destination. Such a framework can streamline the efforts and identify the correct procedures
regarding the development of food tourism as an attraction in a destination. The
establishment of the food tourism potential of a destination is crucial for further development
and success regarding tourism in the destination.

2.2.7 Stakeholders Involvement

It is crucial that the stakeholders establish co-optician amongst themselves and promote local
and regional food as an attraction in the various regions of the country. There is a need for
stakeholder involvement with a specific focus on an untapped potential of food tourism.
Stakeholders and DMOs need to be encouraged to participate in promoting food tourism and
to on-sell food with wine which is a better-established tourism product and attraction in many
regions.

2.3 The Impact of Food Tourism in Communities

Food and beverage tourism on a community level may enable the development of a “sense of
place”, but also has the potential to generate economic benefits and support sustainable
community and tourism development. In this perspective, food tourism festivals can be one
alternative opportunity for tourism development in rural areas for farmers and communities
by adding values to already existing place-based food products.

Rural communities are also using food festivals to promote local commodities and
differentiate themselves from urban community festivals. From the development standpoint,
small festivals in areas with few tourism attractions may be critical in retaining locals’
discretionary funds and generating civic pride. In recent years, special events or festivals
have become one of the fastest growing types of tourism attractions. Tourism marketing
professionals increasingly view festivals as an integral part of tourism development and
marketing plans, and they are deliberately creating new festivals as tourist attractions.

Food tourism festivals can also be one alternative opportunity for tourism development in
rural areas, adding values to already existing products. Development of food tourism can not
only contribute to the growth of tourism at a destination, but also enhance the image of the
destination when food is seen as a part of that image. If developed properly, food tourism can
add to the range of tourism attractions and provide new attractions to the destination along
with economic benefits.

2.3.1 The Economic Impact in Communities

The development of food tourism as a generator of income, and enhancement of community

pride and identity has emerged as an objective of many destinations worldwide. Challenging
economic times have compelled destinations to explore ways and means to increase visitation
levels and generate revenues. Doing so has required them to look carefully at their policies
and practices, and to focus on issues such as customer service. Accordingly, it is important to
identify visitor characteristics, their motivations and satisfaction for promotion purposes.

Economic impact studies of tourism are needS(Frechtling & Horvath, 1999). ed to

demonstrate the economic contribution to the community. Festivals should be organized as
clearly they demonstrate a significant economic impact. In this context, partnerships and
collaboration with other tourism and tourism-related businesses is critical to enhance larger
and longer visitation in the region.
3. Economic Impacts of Food Tourism

Culinary tourism has an impact on social and cultural networks of a region or locale. Due to
the social nature of culinary tourism, new relationships can be built and new support systems
can be established.

Culinary tourism also celebrates what is local and what happens locally; much of which is
community-driven and supported, reflecting the unique culture of an area. In other culinary
tourism destinations around the world, community pride has been recognized as one of the
most important social outcomes of product development, through the creation of new
partnerships and innovative strategies. Introducing long-term culinary tourism strategies can
add tremendous ability to ‘educate’ and build awareness for locals and tourists about the
benefits of healthy eating though consumption of local, fresh, and seasonal produce,
particular cooking methods and techniques, gardening and farming techniques, and moving
away from processed or fast food. Because much of the produce and many of the products
may be preserved or stored, local, visitors to the region can enjoy healthy food year-round.

The local initiative associated with culinary tourism also presents environmental value. Food
need not travel as far from where it is grown or produced to where it is consumed, and as a
result, less energy is consumed, fewer transport emissions are produced, and fewer chemicals
are needed in preservation. While culinary tourism can have various environmental impacts
related to land use, water systems, waste production, transportation, and energy consumption,
the promotion of local and sustainable food systems can reduce environmental strain.

4. Conclusion

Culinary tourism is emerging as an important component of the rapidly growing cultural

tourism market. Food tourism is regarded as one of the attractions offered in a destination and
can therefore constitute part of the destination marketing strategy of a destination. From the
preceding perspectives, it is apparent that destination marketing and food tourism are linked.
The contribution of food tourism to the sustainable competitiveness of a destination entails
the identification, development and implementation of food tourism enhancers to achieve
destination competitiveness. Local and regional food as one of the important components of
food tourism holds great potential to contribute to sustainable competitiveness in a
destination, both from a tourism development and a destination marketing perspective. Food
tourism globally remains a form of niche or alternative tourism, based on agriculture, culture
and the tourism infrastructure. Food tourism festivals can also be one alternative opportunity
for tourism development in rural areas, adding values to already existing products. If
developed properly, food tourism can add to the range of tourism attractions and provide new
attractions to the destination along with economic benefits.