ABSTRACT

This study examined the Influence Of Local Cuisines On Tourist Destination Choice In Enugu State using five research objective; determine areas of commonality in the way guests perceived local cuisines and chose food outlets; establish the level of guests’ satisfaction with the quality of local foods; distinguish guests’ perception on the authenticity of local cuisines and level of appeal on the choice of destination; evaluate the extent it is desirable to use local cuisine experiences as a branding tool to influence guest’s choice of destination in the study area.. Descriptive survey research design was used through administration of questionnaire to obtain information from the communities. Probability and Non-probability sampling technique was used to ascertain the population of the study. Purposive sampling was used to select five out of the ten autonomous communities from which 196 respondents was selected. The result found out that majority of the respondents (n=48, 32%) fell between 21 and 30 years, most of the visitors were in the region for holiday purposes (30.6%), a high (85.4%) proportion had attained additional training, majority (n=38, 25.3%) of the respondents were employed full time, Majority (n= 56, 37.3%) of the guests were married. The result from the inferential statistics showed that 72.7% of the choice of destination is explained by way guest perceive local cuisines variable, 62.2% of choice of destination is explained by quality of local food variable, 11.3% of choice of destination is explained by distinction of local cuisines variable and 61.6% of choice of destination is explained by local cuisine experiences variable. The study thus concludes that gastronomic tourism though limited and not well developed in some parts of the world, was becoming an important activity to be ignored and on their future visits to the region this implied that these dishes could be used to position the region as a gastronomic destination.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page                                                                                                                                i

Approval page                                                                                                                         ii

Declaration                                                                                                                              iii

Certification                                                                                                                            iv

Dedication                                                                                                                              v

Acknowledgements                                                                                                                vi

Table of content                                                                                                                      vii

List of tables                                                                                                                           x

Abstract                                             

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the Study                                                                                           1

1.2       Statement Of Problem                                                                                                            4

1.3       Objectives Of The Study                                                                                            5

1.4       Research Questions                                                                                                     6

1.5       Hypothesis Of The Study                                                                                           6

1.6       Significance Of The Study                                                                                         6

1.7       Scope Of The Study                                                                                                   7

CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1       CONCEPTUAL REVIEW                                                                                        9

2.1.1    Culinary Tourism                                                                                                       9

2.1.2    Culinary Experience Quality                                                                                      9

2.1.3    Culinary Experience Satisfaction                                                                                10

2.1.4    Dimension of culinary experience                                                                               11

2.1.5    Gastronomic Food and Guest Perception                                                                   12

2.1.6    Gastronomic Food Authenticity and Level of Appeal                                               13

2.1.7    Gastronomy and sensual appeal                                                                                  14

2.1.7.1  Taste of food                                                                                                              14

2.1.7.2  Appearance of food                                                                                                    15

2.1.7.3  Aroma of food                                                                                                                        16

2.1.7.4  Texture of food                                                                                                           17

2.1.8    The Role of Food in Tourism                                                                                      18

2.1.9    Linkages between Local Cuisines and Choice of Destination                                   21

2.1.9.1 Gastronomic food quality and destination link                                                          28

2.1.9.2 Gastronomic food and destination identity                                                                29

2.1.10  Attributes of Local Cuisines                                                                                       31

2.1.10.1 Culture and Tradition                                                                                               31

2.1.10.2 Authenticity                                                                                                              31

2.1.10.3 Healthy Lifestyle                                                                                                      32

2.1.10.4 Sustainability                                                                                                32

2.1.10.5 Quality (Products and Experiences)                                                                         32

2.1.11  The Role of Food in Choice of Destination                                                               33

2.1.12  Some Indigenous Food in Enugu State                                                                      35

2.2       THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK                                                                         37

2.2.1    The Theory of Planned Behavior                                                                                37

2.2.2    Relevance of this Theory to the Study                                                                       38

2.2.3    Theory of Reasoned Action                                                                                        38

2.2.4    Relevance of this Theory to the Study                                                                       39

2.3       EMPIRICAL REVIEW                                                                                          39

2.4       SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW                                                          40

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

3.0       INTRODUCTION                                                                                                     42

3.1       Research Design                                                                                                         42

3.2       Area Of Study                                                                                                                        42

3.3       Population For The Study                                                                                           43

3.4       Sample And Sampling Technique                                                                               43

3.5       Instrument For Data Collection                                                                                  44

3.6       Validation Of The Instrument                                                                                                45

3.7       Reliability Of The Instrument                                                                                     46

3.8       Method Of Data Collection                                                                                        46

3.9       Analytical Technique                                                                                                  46

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1       Results And Discussion                                                                                              47

4.1.1    Response rate of the study                                                                                         47

4.1.2    Demographic Data of Respondents                                                                            48

4.1.3    Analysis of Research Questions                                                                                 51

4.2       Inferential Statistics And Hypothesis Testing                                                            58

CHAPTER 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.1       INTRODUCTION                                                                                                     62

5.2       Summary Of Findings                                                                                                62

5.2.2    Major Findings                                                                                                            63

5.2.3    Summary of the Study                                                                                                64

5.3       Conclusion                                                                                                                  65

5.4       Recommendations                                                                                                      66

REFERENCES

LISTS OF TABLES

Table 4.1         Response rate                                                                                                  47

Table 4.2:        Demographic Data of respondent                                                                   48

Table 4.3:        Showing Ways Guest perceive Local Cuisines and Chose Food Outlet        51

Table 4.4         Showing the level of guests’ satisfaction with the quality of local foods

in the study area                                                                                              53

Table 4.5         Guests’ perception on the authenticity of local cuisines and level of

appeal on the choice of destination in the study area                                     54

Table 4.6         How desirable it is to use local cuisine experiences as a branding tool to influence guest’s choice of destination in the study area                                   56

Table 4.7:        Regression analysis showing the degree of relationship between the way

            guests perceive local cuisines and choice of destination                                58

Table 4.8         Regression analysis showing the degree of relationship between the

level of satisfaction with the quality of local foods and choice of

destination                                                                                                      65

Table 4.9:        Model Summary                                                                                             68

Table 4.10       Model Summary                                                                                             69