Food Tourism as a Viable Market Segment: It's All How You Cook the Numbers! |
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Authors: | Bob McKercher Fevzi Okumus Bendegul Okumus |
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Institution: | 1. School of Hotel and Tourism Management , The Hong Kong Polytechnic University , Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China hmbob@polyu.edu.hk;3. Rosen College of Hospitality Management , The University of Central Florida, Universal Boulevard , Orlando, FL 32819, USA;4. 2528 Runyon Circle , Orlando, FL 32837, USA |
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Abstract: | This study examines whether food is a special interest or mainstream tourism product. Much of the research on special interest tourism examines the activity in isolation of the broader suite of products available in the destination mix. Such a myopic approach may produce impressive looking numbers, but may not define viable market segments. Instead, based on their research findings, the authors argue that a more holistic approach is required to examine food tourism within the context of other products in the destination to determine its value. Overall, this study suggests that consuming food may be a ubiquitous activity for most visitors to sophisticated urban destinations and may not be representative of a specialist segment. |
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Keywords: | Food tourism destination marketing special interest tourism urban tourism Hong Kong |
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