Critical realism: a methodological design for destination food image research

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper provides a critical realist reflection on methodological decisions that frame examination of the effectiveness of destination branding using food and cuisine. The authors use a multi-method strategy to evaluate the degree of congruence amongst (1) destination marketers’ promotional food images, (2) internal stakeholders’ perception of images, and (3) tourists’ views of food destinations. Results reveal that critical realism enhances the capacity to explore the less observable forces influencing food image across diverse stakeholder groups and builds a more coherent attribute-based framework to measure gaps in perception.