Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
S.M. Hashemi
School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Penang, Malaysia
N. Hosseiniyan
School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Penang, Malaysia
ABSTRACT: Food is a rudimentary and physical necessity of human beings and a basic theme for busi-
ness and marketing. Food is also, particularly, related to tourist activities and plays its primary function
in entertaining and fulfilling the tourists' basic, natural, and inevitable requirement to provide energy as
well as to promote business. Thus, food and tourism are increasingly being combined together in order
to stimulate business. The purpose of this article is to review the contribution of food in attracting the
tourists and visitors. It also intends to review the contribution of food in tourism with particular reference
to the importance of food tourism for business point of view with the Malaysian perspectives. The issue
was discussed based on documentary analysis of the existing academic materials with reference to food
tourism, tourism business and factors in order to investigate the truth. The content analysis revealed that
there was a great potential of food tourism in Malaysia due to its fabulous, delicious, and a variety of
food items to activate business in Malaysia. Some practicable implications of the findings are furnished
for food policy makers, industrialists, academicians, research scholars, and the people affiliated with food
and business tourism and hospitality industry in order to utilize the existing potential of food and busi-
ness tourism in Malaysian.
Keywords
:
Food tourism, attractions, tourists, Malaysia
1 INTRODUCTION
lar reference to the importance of food tourism
to sustain business with the Malaysian contexts.
A lot of potential of food tourism exits in Malay-
sia, particularly in the rural areas, as an extensive
study needs to be carried out to fill the existing gap
(Liu, 2006). The findings of a study conducted by
Ling, Karim, Othman, Adzahan and Ramachan-
dran (2010), revealed that that Malaysia has the
potential of being a food tourism destination as
the country is viewed as a melting pot of cultural
food variety at reasonable prices as compared to
other tourist destinations. In summary, Malaysia is
a good food tourism destination; however, it is the
need to ascertain and highlight the significance of
food tourism to promote business.
Therefore, this study will provide directions
and guidelines to enhance the value, quality, and
safety of food tourism as it has bright prospects for
tourism and business is still underdeveloped. How-
ever, the potential in food tourism requires quality
standards, and presenting and decorating styles of
food for tourists. The term of food tourism used in
the current research is associated with hospitality
business affiliated food services.
Food is known as one of the significant attractions
amongst tourists to enrich their tourist activities.
It also plays its vital role in tourist decision making
and measuring their level of satisfaction. It is an
effective instrument to develop and promote tour-
ism business and its contribution to destination
development. Hotels, shopping malls, and food
stalls offer a variety of foods to entertain the tour-
ists. The taste and flavor of the food, as well as the
decorative styles presenting this food, attract and
capture the tourists' attention instinctively. Con-
sequently, food assists to promote tourism indus-
try to a great extent. Food is not only a source of
energy for tourists but also provides motivation for
tourists to be in a more enjoyable and memorable
holiday atmosphere beyond their scheduled.
The current paper aims to review the food factor
contributing to attract the tourists from different
corners of the world as a little is done regarding the
current issue of food in tourism with the Malaysian
perspectives. Furthermore, its purpose is to review
the contribution of food in tourism with particu-
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