Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A common question asked by new entrepreneurs to the industry is should
they be a standalone business or should they cluster with other businesses
who provide a similar offer.
We often refer them to the scenario that if you pull off a freeway in the
USA you are met with a number of different food offers in one location; many
of them selling either a hamburger, chicken or pizza. These food retailers
know that cluster, or a community of food offers, works in the best interest of
all concerned; it provides a destination that gives the consumer choice. These
are food tourist destinations that do that exceptionally well.
In shopping centres now we see the development of the food hall as an
important part of the site's retail offer. Numerous self-service and food retail
offers are located, often in a semi-circle, around a large seating area for con-
sumers to make a choice and then sit together with family or friends.
This means that each family member can eat a different dish from a dif-
ferent part of the world, but still eat as a family unit. Many pundits may not
look on this as part of food tourism, however for those who have visited Asian
cities, eating in a food hall is a major evening social activity and must surely
be grouped as a tourism activity. Food halls often do not start to become
busy until after
8
pm in an evening and can still be exceptionally busy
at midnight. They provide an entertainment zone, often in air-conditioned
centres where locals and tourists can enjoy an evening in a pleasant and com-
fortable environment.
Farmers' markets often have a number of vendors offering the same offer
and competition is healthy and beneficial to all in situations like this. Cluster
businesses become a destination in their own right.
If the business is a standalone, it has to have special attributes to en-
courage tourists to make a special journey to visit them. Many businesses
do not have that special factor to be successful as standalones. If they do, the
inevitable happens and other businesses start clustering around them. An
example of this is 'The Eden Project' (
www.edenproject.com)
in Cornwall in
the UK; the Eden Project is situated in one of the remote parts of the country,
yet Eden is the most visited attraction of its type in the UK. As a result, it is
now surrounded by other businesses that are thriving as a cluster as a result
of the vision of the developer of the Eden Project, Tim Smit.
However, it is recommended that ideally a business should locate where
the tourists and the cluster of like-minded businesses are already located.
This formula has worked for businesses for many years and will not change
in the forseeable future.
Chinatown
A unique national food cuisine environment that has established itself as a
tourist destination in its own right around the world is Chinese food offered
in Chinatown. Chinatown is often located near a city centre and many cities
