SYNOPSIS

“A STUDY ON ROLE OF FOOD IN DEVELOPING TOURIST

EXPERIENCES AT TOURIST DESTINATIONS (DELHI,
LUCKNOW, AGRA & MATHURA)”

Submitted to
IIMT University, Meerut
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

In
MANAGEMENT
By

NIRBHAY KUMAR

Full time

Under the guidance of

DR. AFTAB AHMAD (SUPERVISOR)

SCHOOL OF COMMERCE & MANAGEMENT
IIMT University, Meerut

DR. NITIN GUPTA (CO-SUPERVISOR)

SCHOOL OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT CATERING & TOURISM
IIMT University, Meerut

IIMT University, Meerut

SCHOOL OF COMMERCE & MANAGEMENT, O-POCKET GANGA NAGAR MAWANA

ROAD MEERUT

JUNE 2021
 INTRODUCTION

For human beings food is the basic need of survival on this planet (i.e. Earth). The primitive man
also used to wander from one place to another in search of food to savour their hunger & to live.
Scientifically, food is any nourishing substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants
absorb in order to maintain life and growth. In simple words, food is a diet to live healthy which
can be broadly divided into vegetarian and non vegetarian food on the basis of food commodities.
These commodities may include: meat, poultry, game, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, dairy
products, oils, cereals, raising agents, sugar, beverages or drinks, pulses, herbs, spices, condiments,
colourings, flavourings , essences, grocery, delicatessen, confectionary and bakery goods etc.
Round the globe food consumption at places of interests has been treated as prime concern as it
enables one to memorize the sight / views experiences of that particular place. The consumption of
food pattern also explains about culinary experience of tourists, culinary delicacies of particular
country, place & community. Nearly, all tourists eat and dine out either as a necessity or a pleasure.
However, it is argued that some tourists dine to satisfy their hunger and others dine at a particular
restaurant to experience the traditional cuisine, because it forms an important component of their
travel plan. Since ancient time people used to travel to distant places in order to do business, to see
historic monuments or to have an adventure. Now, however, some people are heading towards
distant lands / places in order to eat historic food or have a culinary adventure. Food tourism is
sweeping the world and is becoming something that everyone should know and understand. Now a
day’s one can see so many advertisements promoting a destination by attracting the frequent
travelers by showing the specialties of that place.
Therefore the study on role of food as an element in developing tourist experiences at places of
interest is interesting as well as complex process. Emerging research on food consumption patterns
reflects that dining out is a growing form of food tourism where meals are consumed not only as
necessity but for a pleasure, and the special events are part of the tourist experience as much as the
food itself. The growth of technology and other market forces of globalization have made the
traditional cuisines more accessible worldwide. This has encouraged the materialization of
traditional cuisines as a theme in popular magazines (Cuisine, Gourmet Traveler, Gourmet cooking,
Food and Travel, Tandoori food, Good Food, Indian Food, Bakery
Review, Beverage & Food World), radio shows (Chef’s Table, Splendid Table), television (Master
Chef, Turban Tadka, Gourmet Central, Mummy Ka Magic) and other travel shows focused on food
itself . Even round the clock (24 Hours) television channels, such as the ‘Food Food’, ‘Food
Network’ etc. devoted to cuisine and the place that food comes from, in weaves food with leisure in
such a way that it becomes difficult to determine whether one is watching a food show or a travel
show. Such technological developments and their broadcasting have raised the tourist’s interest in
consumption and experiencing the indigenous cuisines of a destination, and as a result people are
often traveling to a destination specifically to experience the local cuisines or to taste the dishes of
its ‘celebrity/ master chef’ (Michelin star chefs restaurants, Chokhi Dhani etc). Culinary shows have
become the rage in most parts of the world. Shows like “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares”, and
“Top Chef”, T.V Shows like “Foodie”, Eating with Popular Personalities, Vinod Dua’s Zaika
India Ka are helping ordinary people to understand the ins and outs of all types of cuisines.
Cookbook sales have gone through the roof, all because people want to attempt to recreate the
dishes that they see on these television shows.
We’ve all seen the little tourist center at the popular vacation destinations. You walk in and the
guide will help you to find the best lodging, shopping, and things to do in the area. These tourist
centers are a great help to someone who is unfamiliar to the area and just wants to enjoy the sites.
But what about people who traveled to the area specifically to try the cuisine?
The focus on food as a significant element in tourism and tourists’ experiences has increased. How
tourists experience with food has changed over the years is reflected in the fact that tourists seek
local food experiences while travelling to a new destination. The aim is to develop knowledge on
how food as an element in tourism plays a role for the tourism and hospitality industry.
The conceptual model of the push and pull factors and tourist experience will be used as a tool, in
order to analyze the topic.
A study on role of Food in developing tourist experiences at tourist
destinations like Delhi, Lucknow, Agra & Mathura. will be undertaken.
In detail, this research work will involve inputs from hospitality professionals in the hospitality
sector about the influence; food has on tourist traffic, as a supporting or as main part of total
experience. This research will also indicate us that how hospitality professionals in the hospitality
industry, in Delhi, Lucknow, Agra & Mathura, view local food/ food as an important element in
tourism.
Herein, the tourism industry is giving priority to the development of food as a potential tourist
attraction that can enhance the destination experience at tourist destinations.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The research work aims to find out answers of the following objectives & questions.
1. To establish the relationship between Food & Tourism sector
2. To identify the nature of Food in developing tourism in Delhi, Lucknow, Agra &
Mathura
3. To draw meaningful conclusion in terms of tourists attitude towards food.
4. To develop a framework for food strategy to develop tourism activity in prescribed
areas.

Indeed, there are several reasons why food tourism should be studied more.
1. Researchers have found that food tourism is linked to a new demand in the modern
economy. Therefore, by exploring food tourism, the results can be used to determine if
food tourism is a tourism strategy worth developing and investing in.
2. Food Tourism has been associated with identity, authenticity and cultural heritage.
Thus, by determining the consequences of utilizing food tourism in the tourism market,
the findings can be used to understand the tourists demand for such a tourism
attraction.
3. Research has found that about a quarter of tourists’ expenditure is on food.
Hence, this study can reveal the importance of developing food tourism in order to
increase the maximum potential of tourism revenue.
4. This study should be undertaken due to the lack of systematic knowledge on role of
food in improving tourist potential at destinations like Delhi, Lucknow, Agra &
Mathura.
Thus, I hope this research will serve as a start to find useful and strategic guidelines to
develop food tourism research in the discussed tourist destinations.
 HYPOTHESIS

Keeping in view the nature of research objectives, following tentative hypotheses have been
proposed for the present study.
H01
H11: There exists sound relationship between food & tourists
H02
H12: Food acts as an element in improving tourism experiences at tourist destinations have
significant role.

H03: Food at destinations doesn’t motivate the tourists to visit a particular location.
H13
H04: Hospitality professionals opinion towards role of food in culinary tourism
at destinations do not vary significantly.

H15 : Food has significant role in improving tourist attitude towards particular destination & to
define food strategy for better tourist experiences at destinations.
H05
 LITERATURE REVIEW

Though Food tourism is at initial stage of gaining popularity, the concept of Food tourism is taking
shape and making its mark in the tourism Industry. As we all would agree Food is basic need of
human’s life and hence as long as life will sustain this industry will always grow accordingly with
more hope & scope. Food Tourism or Culinary Tourism has combination of Food & Tourism which
has resulted the innovation of Food that are not so prominent but truly magnificent and deserve
popularity. Now a day’s Food Tourism plays a vital role in the tourism industry as it is one of the
major factors for selecting a tourist destination. Eating out is most common for any tourist and more
importantly they would want to explore the local and traditional cuisine. The above provides for
such information and gives a gist of the destinations as we rightly say food says much about the
people.
The idea is not to create new indiscriminate pressure on culinary heritage, but to leverage it
rationally with an eye to sustainability. In light of this study the major trends and keys to
success that can be observed in the development of food tourism may include:
• Food as an element in developing Tourism activity
• What sort of food tourists like?
• The tourist destinations as the backbone of gastronomic offerings

Tourism Management - Ashleigh Ellisa, Eerang Parkb, Sangkyun Kimc, Ian Yeoman
For the past decades, a considerable amount of research has been conducted in tourism and
tourist/customer satisfaction, role of Food in tourism etc. Finding the appropriate analytical tools
for such studies and especially for measurement of customer satisfaction in such tourist experiences
at popular tourist destinations. Within the tourism literature discussing food, numerous terms,
namely ‘food and wine tourism’, ‘tasting tourism’, ‘gourmet tourism’ ,and most commonly
‘culinary tourism’, ‘food tourism’ or ‘gastronomic tourism’ are evident. It is argued by some
academicians that the latter three terms are very similar and, in fact, used interchangeably in some
instances.
Use of Analytical Tools for Measuring Tourist Satisfaction in India
The tourism industry has played an important role in the economy of different countries in the last
decades. It is a fast growing industry that has become a top priority of the economic agenda of a
number of countries. In many of the Asian countries, a progressive tourism industry is perceived as
a prospective solution to pin-point the national issues like lower employment rates, source of
generating foreign
currencies and, as an outcome of higher government revenues. Many countries have considered
tourism as a means of generating more travelers and tourists and as a result more business and
profits in their home countries. Regions and destinations are competing each other for attracting as
many tourists as they can.

Travel Marketing
When we talk about tourism activity it explains the tourists’ inherent motivations to travel. It also
describes different aspects that together make up the tourism industry.Tourists travel to destinations
that are accessible to them. They require accommodation if they are visiting a place for more than
24 h. Leisure and business travelers may also visit attractions, and engage themselves in
recreational activities. Hence, the tourist destinations should have the right amenities and facilities.
The core tourism activity needs to be defined as how tourist destinations may offer different
products to satisfy awide array of tourists. Tourism products can include; urban (or city) tourism,
seaside tourism, rural tourism, ecotourism, wine tourism, culinary tourism, health tourism, medical
tourism, religious tourism, cultural (or heritage) tourism, sports
tourism, educational tourism, business tourism (including meetings, incentives,conferences and
events), among others. In conclusion, we would come to know about how diverse destinations may
be appealing to different tourists, for many reasons.

Food as an element in developing tourist experiences (A case study of the Finnmark region in
Northern Norway Alita Dagmar Kristensen) June 2017
The focus of food as an important element in tourists’ expectations has gained increasing focus
among all stakeholders in the industry. In addition, the literature and this study suggest that food as
a supporting element in the production of tourist products and marketing of destinations, as well as
tourist satisfaction, is also expanding (Henderson, 2009; Everett & Aitchison, 2008; Rand & Heath,
2006; McKercher, Okumus, & Okumus, 2008). I will, through this project investigate if the tourist
companies in the region regard this expansion also to hold for what they learn in their encounters
with different guests. Although food may not be the primary attraction, food is an important
element for visitors who have other main reasons to visit a destination. Increasingly, having access
to high quality locally produced food is becoming part of the expectations of travelers.
The role of local food in Maldives tourism: a focus on promotion and economic development
The relationship between food and tourism has until recently been relatively overlooked by
academics, policy-makers and communities alike. However, food is now recognized as one of the
fastest growing aspects of tourism today. Studies reveal the role of food as both a lifestyle marker
and a means of cultural identification. When consuming food of ‘others’, tourists can become ‘part’
of that culture, however briefly. Food also provides ‘authentic' representation of the culture for the
tourist. Tourism literature reveals the potential role for food in tourism in sustaining regional
identity and contributing to regional development, as well as being a key element in competitive
destination marketing. Local food can be seen as a mean to explore a country’s culture, because
represent the geography, history, and people of a country. It represents the identity of a destination,
like a symbol of a place. Hence, the importance of linking food as promotion tool in tourism.

“A study on the importance of Food Tourism and its impact on Creating Career
Opportunities amongst the Residents of Pune city”
Food is inseparable part of human’s life and hence as long as life will sustain this industry will
always have a hope to grow. Food tourism is always considered as a food experiences taken outside
the tourism boundaries and within the tourism boundaries Pune is growing in all aspects and hence
the tourism, of Pune is also growing which will create lot of new opportunities for Pune locals to
improve on their food experience and share those experiences with the outside world. This whole
process will indeed create lot many avenues of career opportunities for Pune residents. Food
tourism is a very sustainable way of establishing new career opportunities in any region, which also
give recognition to the local cuisine.

Developing Culinary Tourism: The Role of Food as a Cultural Heritage in Kenya by Roselyne
N. Okech.
According to Renko et al., (2010) food, along with other phenomena such as religion, events,
festivals, and architecture are considered to be ―gray zones‖ of cultural and heritage tourism. It
mostly serves as a catalyst in enhancing the tourists‘ experience in certain places. However, the
importance of foodstuffs has been recognized by more and more researchers. They focus on the role
of food in culture and consider food as not only being a basic necessity for tourist consumption but
also an essential element of regional culture that adds value to the image of a destination. Local
cuisines represent a core manifestation of a destination‘s intangible heritage, and through its
consumption, tourists can gain a truly authentic cultural experience (Okumus, Okumus, &
McKercher, 2007; Renko et al., 2010). Culinary tourism, also looks at the practices of exploratory
eating or participating in perhaps alien foodways as a way of encountering and consuming other
places and cultures (Long, 2004). Food-based attractions may include special events, such as food
festivals or cooking holidays (Di Domenico & Miller, 2012; Hall & Sharples, 2008), or the
promotion of local food through farmers‘ markets, enhanced local menu items and the inclusion of
locally grown food produce in the hospitality supply chain (Telfer &Wall, 1996; Torres, 2002).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The framework of research design is classified into three broad sections.

 In the 1st section Exploratory research will be discussed. This will enable me to gain
insights about the topic and familiarity for later investigation with what sort of
questions would be required for the survey to follow.
 In the 2nd section Method of Tourists (Consumer) survey for conclusive research to
be discussed,
 During 3rd section Hospitality professional’s survey will be conducted. Through this
we will be able to establish relationship between food & Tourism potential.
 Both qualitative & quantitative research techniques will be used.

Keeping in view the nature of research problem in hand the mixed method approach would be used
in this study. Mixed methods research simply means adopting a research strategy employing more
than one type of research method. Literature has shown the potential advantages of utilizing mixed
methods research design. First, mixed methods are superior for conducting academic studies since
various research questions in one study can be addressed more effectively using both quantitative
and qualitative approaches. Second, mixed methods research often helps researchers to generate and
refine the research inquiry. Further, it increases the opportunity for the researchers to interpret and
explain the findings from different perspectives (Tashakkori & Teddlie, 2003). According to
Neuman (2006), the quantitative approach is the most suitable approach for observing the big
picture of a specific social theme. It is further argued that the data obtained from the survey phase
may limit the visitor pre-conceptions and dining expectations. However, visitor perceptions
concerning their actual and post-dining encounters would also be sought. Therefore, for this reason,
a qualitative research approach has been proposed to follow the survey. As suggested by Strauss
and Corbin (1990), employing qualitative research is beneficial as it enables researchers to explain
the attitudes, beliefs, and experiences of the research subjects in a more thorough manner. Sampling
Technique: non-probability sampling techniques -purposive sampling The target population of the
survey is all (domestic/international) visitors travelling to the fine dine restaurants and stakeholders
of culinary tourism at key north Indian tourist destinations. Since the exact number of visitors is not
predictable therefore non probability sampling would be used to select the exact no. of respondents
to be included in this study. In particular, a purposive sampling technique has been proposed to
select the sample from the target population. Although purposive sampling may affect the
researcher’s ability to control the sample precision, the advantage of using this sampling technique
lies in its cost and time efficiency when collecting data from a larger survey population. Most of
non-probability sampling techniques, there are no rules for determining the sample size. Sample
Size: above 500 The choice of sample size is usually governed by several aspects, namely: level of
confidence on the data collected; tolerable margin of error; types of analyses; and the size of total
population Tools: Questionnaire Veal (2011) noted that survey is a dominant data collection
method in the academic discipline of marketing. Therefore questionnaire would be used as research
tool in this study. An in-depth semi-structured interview approach has been chosen as a means of
obtaining the qualitative data from the participants. This is decided for a number of reasons. First,
from the interviewee side, this method encourages more free expression relating to thoughts and
feelings than is possible in a structured questionnaire (Kim et al., 2009). From the researcher’s
viewpoint, in-depth semi-structured interviews allow the researcher to probe deeper into the way
the respondents interpret their experiences, particularly pertaining to the social and cultural
elements that are important for creating unique and memorable experiences (Ritchie & Hudson,
2009).

STATISTICAL TECHNIQUE- SPPSS would be used to analyze the data. The appropriate
mathematical, statistical and other qualitative research techniques including the observation of
phenomenon would be used to analyze the data.

SOURCES OF DATA: Data would be collected from both primary and secondary sources. The
primary data would be collected with the help of research tool (questionnaire for quantitative
aspects and semi-structured interview for qualitative aspects). Secondary data would be collected
from various published and unpublished sources of available literature for example research papers,
thesis, internet, magazines, newspapers, reports etc. including the personal observation of the
phenomenon.

WORK PLAN This thesis will be divided tentatively into following chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Literature review
Chapter 3: Research Methodology
Chapter 4: Analysis and Interpretation of data
Chapter 5: Findings & Summary of Results
Chapter 6: Research Implications and Conclusion
Chapter 7. References / Bibliography

CONCLUSION

The Food Tourism / Culinary Tourism may have an aspect of stimulating innovation as in terms of
food and engaging the customers in co-creation because tourism is an activity which can’t happen
without the Tourists / customers. It is bonding the global and local culture in various forms. There
are developments seen through the formation of Fusion cuisines supported by elaborative narratives
in the Menu cards connecting it to the cultural and local values. This also sensitizes the importance
of values attached to food culture.
The role of food (whether local / global food) is definitely there but to what extent, will be defined
after this research work. The results of this research will also enable us to draft food strategies
which may ultimately improve the tourism potential by improving tourist experiences at said
destinations.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Culinary tourism. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. Mackenzie, N., & Knipe, S.
(2006).
 The role of local food in Maldives tourism: a focus on promotion and economic
development (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology).
 Arora, K ( 1992), Theory of Cookery Avieli, N. (2013).
 Local development and heritage: traditional food and cuisine as tourist attractions in rural
areas.
 Developing Culinary Tourism: The Role of Food as a Cultural Heritage in Kenya by
Roselyne N. Okech.
 “A study on the importance of Food Tourism and its impact on Creating Career
Opportunities amongst the Residents of Pune city” by Ms. Gauri Shah & Mr. Kiran Shende
(IJRIM - http://euroasiapub.org ) ,
 The role of local food in the touristic experience by Alberto Reza,
 Food as an element in developing tourist experiences (A case study of the Finnmark region
in Northern Norway Alita Dagmar Kristensen) June 2017,
 Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management by Mark Anthony Camilleri,
 Use of Analytical Tools for Measuring Tourist Satisfaction in India: A Critical Review of
Scholarly Doctoral Theses by Ravi Kumar Pandit (Pacific Business Review International
Volume 10 Issue 6, December 2017)
 Tourism Management - Ashleigh Ellisa, Eerang Parkb, Sangkyun Kimc, Ian Yeoman