THE INTERDEPENDENCE OF THE PURCHASING

POWER OF TOURISTS AND THEIR

PREFERENCES FOR ORGANIC FOOD, IN THE
CASE OF ISTRIA

Ana Težak
Desimir Bošković
Darko Saftić
 Organic food

• Upward trend on the markets of advanced

countries
• Consumption is concentrated in Europe
and US
 Methodology

• Market development possibilities of

organic farming in Istrian County
• Survey
– 1,300 collected questionnaires
– August and September 2008
– two-star hotels, 0.46%; three-star hotels, 34%;
four-star hotels, 63.54%; and high category
villas, 2%.
– questionnaire containing 16 questions
 …
• Aim of the paper - research the existence of a
correlation
• Variables:
– purchasing power
• Hotel category
• Income level
– Tourists’ preferences for organic food
• interest in consuming organic food in Istria
• willingness to pay a higher price for organic food
• the extent to which they are informed regarding selling prices
• level of their interest in spending holidays in rural Istria
 Income pattern of tourists by hotel
category
30,00%

23,69%
19,80%
20,00%
15,57%
3-star hotel
9,64% 9,81% 4-star hotel
10,00%
5,92% 5,92%
4,57%
3,55%
1,52%
0,00%
Up to 500€ Up to Up to Up to Over
1.000€ 2.000€ 5.000€ 5.000€
Interest of tourist in consuming organic food
during their stay in Istria by hotel category

60,00%
47,41%

40,00%

3-star hotel
21,96%
17,74% 4-star hotel
20,00% 12,89%

0,00%
Not interested Interested
Interest of coastal tourists in holidaymaking
in rural Istria by hotel category

60,00%
51,00%

40,00%

24,55% 3-star hotel

4-star hotel
20,00% 14,69%
9,76%

0,00%
Not interested Interested
Tourists’ willingness to pay higher prices for
organic food by hotel category

60,00% 52,71%

40,00%

25,39% 3-star hotel

4-star hotel
20,00% 15,52%

6,38%

0,00%
Up to 30% Over 30%
 Level of tourists’ ecological consciousness
regarding organic food prices by hotel category

40,00%

30,58%

18,00%
20,00% 16,28% 17,05% 3-star hotel
9,91% 4-star hotel
8,18%

0,00%
Not informed Partially Fully
informed informed
 X2 test

Variable χ2 df p Φ

Interest of tourist in consuming organic food 12,798 1 0,000 0,101

during their stay in Istria

Interest of coastal tourists in holidaymaking in 4,293 1 0,038 -0,067

rural Istria

Tourists’ willingness to pay higher prices for 0,754 1 0,385 0,030

organic food

Level of tourists’ ecological consciousness 0,481 2 0,786 0,020

regarding organic food prices
 Interest of tourist in consuming organic food
during their stay in Istria by income bracket
30,00%
26,53%
22,79%

20,00%
17,18%

Not interested
Interested
10,00% 6,97% 6,97% 6,63%
4,59%
4,42%
2,55%
1,36%
0,00%
Up to 500€ Up to Up to Up to Over 5.000€
1.000€ 2.000€ 5.000€
 Interest of coastal tourists in holidaymaking
in rural Istria by income bracket
30,00%
26,19%

22,29%

20,00%

14,29%
Not interested
8,66% Interested
10,00% 8,01%
6,28%
4,98%
4,11% 3,68%
1,52%

0,00%
Up to 500€ Up to Up to Up to Over 5.000€
1.000€ 2.000€ 5.000€
 Tourists’ willingness to pay higher prices for
organic food by income bracket
30,00% 26,82%

22,95%

20,00%
15,45%
Up to 30%
Over 30%

10,00% 7,50% 7,27%

6,36% 6,59%
4,55%
1,82%
0,68%

0,00%
Up to 500€ Up to 1.000€ Up to 2.000€ Up to 5.000€ Over 5.000€
 Level of tourists’ ecological consciousness
regarding organic food prices by income bracket
20,00%
18,28%

14,63%

10,00% 8,04% 6,95% 9,14% Not informed

7,86% Partially informed
8,04%
6,76% Fully informed

2,56% 4,94% 4,39%

2,38% 2,93%
2,19%
0,91%
0,00%
Up to 500€ Up to Up to Up to Over
1.000€ 2.000€ 5.000€ 5.000€
 Conclusion
• Correlation exists between
– Hotel category and Interest in consuming
organic food exists
– Hotel category and Spending vacations in
rural Istria

• The strength of the correlation is less than

typical between the income of tourists and
all independent variables
…
• The majority of tourists have stated that they would be
interested in consuming organic food during their stay in
Istria

• Regardless of hotel category, coastal tourists in general

are not interested in holidaymaking in rural Istria

• Only one-fifth of the tourists surveyed are willing to pay

more than 30% higher prices for organic food

• The majority of tourists have stated that they are partially

informed on the selling price of organic food