Moreover, Cohen and Avieli (2004) advocate that for some international visitors, eating local food can be an impediment when travelling, especially when the destination has a culinary culture that is distinct from what is familiar in home environments. For this group, named by Fischler (1988) as the food neophobic group, issues such as food hygiene, ‘strange’ food ingredients, unfamiliar tastes, can constrain themfromtrying the local food(Cohen & Avieli, 2004).In contrast to the food neophobic group, other visitors, called food neophilic, are more open to searching for novel and even strange dishes (Fischler, 1988). Amongst this group, seeking local food becomes a push motivator for visiting a particular destination (Tikkanen, 2007). Experiences of eating the local food allow them to learn a new culture through coming into contact with local residents, eating like the locals, and exploring new cuisines that they are unlikely to encounter at home (Fields, 2002; Hegarty & O'Mahony, 2001). In addition, Beer (2008) puts forth the role of authenticity that visitors anticipate to experience when dining with the local food in the destination. As Pratt (2007) states, the concept of authenticity evokes a range of meanings such as original, genuine, real, true, true to itself. When applied to food, authenticity is a quality attributed to a range of cuisines that are specific to a particular location. Beyond this, authenticity refers to the story and meaning pertaining to place and culture of the food that is embedded as a representation of culture. Indeed, in many cases, for the food neophilic group, it is the stories behind the food, such as, the origins of a particular ethnic food, which may have greater appeal than the food itself (Morgan, Watson, & Hemmington, 2008). Accordingly, the visitors can gain a truly authentic cultural experience (Okumus, Okumus, & McKercher, 2007), as well as a more satisfying form of engagement with the surrounding people and places (Pratt, 2007). Given the intensity of cultural interactions that the international visitors may experience when dining with local food, it is imperative to incorporate the food cultural-related aspects such as, methods of cooking and ways of eating, food authenticity, and food familiarity in the proposed framework.
Turning to the physical aspect of dining, Henderson et al. (2012) assert that international visitor dining experiences in the destination can occur in various establishments, from dining exclusively in hotels or restaurants to consuming food at street stalls or in food hawker centres. Dining experiences within these places can stimulate various feelings of involvement and place attachment, depending upon the quality of food and service provision (Pendergast, 2006). Moreover, as argued by Sparks, Bowen, and Klag (2004), these aspects are showcases for the culture and influence overall destination experiences through the process of forming connections with the host culture. With reference to this aspect, Cutler and Carmichael (2010) in their model suggest that the physical aspects of visitor experiences should consider spatial and place-based elements of the destination. In the service context, this often refers to the concept of servicescape – the physical environment that influences perceptions of service – (Bitner, 1992). Meanwhile, the atmosphere of the foodservice is defined as the “individual emotional total experience throughout the entire meal including social experience, comfort, and intimacy” (Hansen, Jensen, & Gustafsson, 2005, p. 145). In the proposed framework, the physical dining aspects refer to the dining atmosphere, type of dining establishment where the experience with local food is occurring (e.g. restaurants or street food stalls), and the cleanliness of the dining environment.
The aforementioned discussion has indicated the salient role of food quality, food culture-related, and physical dining aspects, thus, they are incorporated as factors outside the visitors that affect their dining on local food at each stage of experience. In addition to these aspects, the literature has noted that the provision of memorable dining experiences is also determined by the capacity of the staff providing the service and delivering the food. For instance, Gibbs and Ritchie (2010) in their study reveal that the capacity of the staff providing the service and delivering the food is considered as one key determinant of the provision of memorable dining experiences. Likewise, Wall and Berry (2007) highlight the significant impact of employee quality on customer expectations towards dining experiences. There has been growing attention in the literature to the importance of dining experience as a means of fulfilling visitor social needs when they travel to a destination (Antun, Frash, Costen, & Runyan, 2010; Batra, 2008; Ignatov & Smith, 2006; Morgan et al., 2008). Ignatov and Smith’s (2006) study for example, reveals that spending time with family and friends is a significant reason for choosing to eat local food in a destination setting. Similarly, Kim and Lee’s (2012) study also highlights the significant role of other customers as a part of the social aspect in shaping visitor dining expectations. In light of this view, both the interactions with service personnel as well as with other people (e.g. friends, family, and other people in the dining place such as the locals) are considered as the social aspects and are incorporated within the framework as the external influential factor of the visitor dining experiences. Based on the above discussion, it is proposed that:
Proposition 5: The visitor dining experience with local food in the destination is influenced by external factors including food quality aspects, food cultural-related aspects, physical aspects, and social aspects.
4. Conclusions and Implications for Future Research
The literature reviewed in this paper has shown the complexity of the visitor experience as comprising multiple phases, the influence of multiple factors, and multiple outcomes. Meanwhile, considering the increased role of culinary tourism in stimulating international visitation, it is essential to have a comprehensive understanding of how visitors respond to local food related dining experiences. This conceptual paper should be seen as a preliminary attempt to provide a more profound basis for understanding local food related dining experiences by international visitors in the destination context. The proposed framework views dining experiences as the sequential relationships amongst three stages of dining, where in each stage, both internal and external factors contribute to affecting the outcomes of experiences.
However, the proposed framework is not all-encompassing. It will be important to undertake an empirical assessment of the validity of the framework and propositions that have been proposed.Since the framework has developed comprehensively, it should be assessed comprehensively. In other words, a systematic empirical investigation is required with a view to assessing the complexities and the relationships of various stages, factors, and outcomes involving visitor dining experiences.
Given the current lack of studies focusing on investigating visitor local food related dining experiences systematically, the proposed framework can be adapted into the empirical study both by other researchers and DMOs to provide an in-depth knowledge pertaining to how international visitors experiences local food dining. This action is particularly important for DMOs which seek to utilise food tourism as a means of enhancing destination attractiveness.