Tourists’ perceptions of food trucks in Asia

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation worldwide has seen city planners acknowledge the economic, social and cultural importance of creating sustainable, vibrant and inclusive communities through food. Public spaces that include food are most appealing and attract people to urban landscape. Reflecting the intangible cultural heritage of a destination, consuming local food is an authentic experience for tourists, providing a link between food, place and tourism (Privitera and Nesci 2015). Researchers have found that satisfying food tourism experiences can boost tourists’ overall perception of a destination (Smith and Xiao 2008). As a result, local food has regularly been used by governments to promote their cities. Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) believes that the diversity of the city’s international cuisines has become a major competitive advantage (Enright and Newton 2005). The gastronomic image of Hong Kong is enhanced by food festivals, competition such as the Best of the Best Culinary Awards, and trade shows. In addition, aggressive promotion featuring authentic Chinese cuisines often appears in marketing collaterals and web pages to attract overseas tourist markets (Okumus, Okumus, and McKercher 2007). Tourist arrivals into Hong Kong have continued to decline from 60,850,000 in 2014 to 56,546,100 in 2016 (HKTB Research 2019). To increase tourist visitation, the Hong Kong government launched a two-year Food Truck Pilot Scheme in 2017, selecting 16 food truck operators, offering gourmet food to operate in nine designated tourist venues. The scheme aimed to enhance the appeal of tourist attractions and provide tourists and locals with diverse, creative, and high-quality food that meets a high standard of food hygiene and safety. Refer to Figure-1 Food Truck operator ‘Creative Yummy’ selling grilled cheese sandwich to visitors. However, this scheme is presently struggling and faces uncertainties. To rescue the scheme, the Tourism Commission in Hong Kong has extended the scheme to 2021 with additional support such as new venues, flexible shift arrangement, and self-identified events to combat high operational costs, and poor location venues. This paper seeks to explore the perceptions of tourists towards street food and food trucks and more importantly, if food trucks enhances the city’s appeal as a food tourism destination. Study findings provides useful marketing insights that may assist in promoting Hong Kong as a gastronomic destination.