PHD THESIS COLLOQUIUM
of
Mr. Ganesh Kumar R
Research Supervisor: Prof. Anjula Gurtoo
Title:
“Investigations on Food Tourism in India”
Day & Date: Monday, 7th Apr 2025
Time: 03:00 PM
Abstract:
Tourism is a crucial pillar of India’s economic development. Newer experiences are being developed to attract new segments of tourists. This study focuses on food tourism and its role in promoting destination loyalty. Food tourism research in India is limited and focused mainly on evaluating various facets of tourist experiences. Against this backdrop, this study evaluates the food tourism experiences of tourists, providing a holistic understanding of the behaviour.
The findings reveal three clusters derived based on tourists’ interest in food and food satisfaction. Comparing the behaviour of first-visit and repeat visit tourist revealed no significant differences in their memorable food experiences, food satisfaction, and behavioural intentions. Similarly, results indicated no significant differences in the behaviour of tourists visiting inland and coastal destinations. Results indicated that individuals with a strong interest in food actively seek culinary-related information before travel, engage with local culinary offerings, have lasting culinary memories, have greater satisfaction, and are inclined to revisit and recommend destinations. Multi Group Analysis (MGA) highlighted significant differences in the behaviour of various demographic groups. The Importance Performance Analysis (IPMA) results indicated that local food experiences had the highest impact on predicting tourist behavioural intentions, whereas food neophobia negatively affected behavioural intentions. The thesis explores these and other significant results for their policy implications.
Keywords: Food Tourism, Emerging Economy, Tourist Behaviour, Destination Marketing, Destination Promotion Framework
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