Sample 2 ba paper

TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS AND DESTINATION CHOICE BEHAVIOUR OF CULINARY TOURISTS BACHELOR PAPER II submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems University of Applied Sciences Bachelor programme

TRAVEL MOTIVATIONS AND DESTINATION CHOICE

BEHAVIOUR OF CULINARY TOURISTS

BACHELOR PAPER II

submitted at the IMC Fachhochschule Krems (University of Applied Sciences)

Bachelor programme

„Tourism and Leisure Management“

by

First Name Surname

Spezialication: Cultural Tourism, Consumer Behaviour

Submitted on: 08.05.2015

“I declare in lieu of an oath that I have written this bachelor paper myself and that I have not used any sources or resources other than stated for its prepa- ration I further declare that I have clearly indicated all direct and indirect quo- tations This bachelor paper has not been submitted elsewhere for examina- tion purposes.”

Date: 08 05 2015

[Julia Katharina Mathis]

Acknowledgements

I would like to say a big thank you to:

Mag Claudia Bauer-Krösbacher, PhD & Mag Stephanie Tischler

For providing guidance and coaching the Bachelor Paper

The participants of the online survey

For their time and openness

Lisa

For the support to find participants for the online survey

Daniel & Lisa

For proof-reading

My family

For their continuous support and patience

Abstract

This Bachelor Thesis aims to identify the main motives and determinants influencing the destination choice behaviour of Austrians Furthermore, the interest in culinary activities and offers as well as an evaluation concerning these offers in Austria have been classified

In course of the investigation two different research methods were utilized Intense literature review revealed comprehensive information on the theoretical framework

of this topic In order to acquire primary data and get an insight into the motivations and determinants influencing the destination choice behaviour and interests of culi-nary tourists in Austria, an online survey was conducted

It was found out that the most important motives influencing the choice of destination are relaxation and the desire to experience a new culture However, traveling to a destination to explore local food and beverages was not identified as the main mo-tive This study has further shown that exogenous factors having an impact on the decision making process are disposable income, landscape, the personal state of health, political stability and value for money Concerning the interest in culinary activities in Austria “trying local food” and “buying local food” were mentioned most frequently The most significant factor regarding the interest in culinary offers in Aus-tria is regional and seasonal specialities Last but not least, dessert and sweets, wine, bread and bakery, the coffee house legacy and regional and seasonal speci-alities were evaluated as the best offers in Austria

Key words: culinary tourism/travel motivation/destination choice behaviour

Table of Contents

Statutory Declaration I Acknowledgements II Abstract III Table of Contents IV List of Figures and Illustrations VI List of Abbreviations VII

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Research Problem 1

1.2 Aim of the Research and Research Question 2

1.3 Research Design 2

1.4 Chapter Outline 3

2 Destination Choice Behaviour 5

2.1 Travel Motivation 7

2.2 Determinants of Demand 8

3 Culinary Tourism 10

3.1 Definition 10

3.2 History of Gastronomy Tourism 11

3.3 Food and Wine Tourism in Austria 12

3.4 The Culinary Tourist 13

4 Methodology 15

4.1 Literature Review 15

4.2 Quantitative Research 16

4.3 Survey Methods 16

4.4 Online Survey 17

4.4.1 Questionnaire 17

4.4.2 Pretesting 18

4.5 Data Analysis 18

4.5.1 Examination of Findings 19

4.5.2 Ethics of Online Surveys 19

5 Analysis and Findings 21

5.1 Destination Choice Behaviour 21

5.1.1 Consideration Set 21

5.1.2 Inert Set 23

5.1.3 Unavailable/Aware Set 25

5.1.4 Inept Set 27

5.2 Association of Countries 30

5.3 Travel Motives 31

5.4 Determinants of Destination Choice 32

5.5 Importance of Culinary Offers in the Travel Decision 34

5.6 Interest and Participation in Culinary Activities 35

5.7 Interest and Evaluation of Culinary Topics 38

6 Conclusion and Recommendations 43

6.1 Limitations 44

6.2 Propositions for Further Research 45

List of References 46 APPENDIX

List of Figures and Illustrations

Figure 1: General Model of Traveler Leisure Destination Awareness and Choice 6

Figure 2: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs 8

Figure 3: Food Tourism as a Niche and Special Interest Tourism 14

Figure 4: Association of Countries to Culinary and Travel 22

Figure 5: Countries Taken into Consideration, but not Visited yet 23

Figure 6: Reasons for not Visiting Countries in Inert Set 24

Figure 7: Set of as Difficult to Travel to Perceived Countries 25

Figure 8: Restraining facts for not Visiting Countries in Unavailable/Aware Set 26

Figure 9: Countries Given no Interest to Travel to 27

Figure 10: Justification for not Visiting Countries in Inept Set 28

Figure 11: Average Day spent at a Destination 29

Figure 12: Associations of Italy 30

Figure 13: Associations of Austria 31

Figure 14: Travel Motives of Austrians 32

Figure 15: Influencing Factors on the Choice of Destination 33

Figure 16: Importance of Culinary Offers in the Travel Decision of Austrians 35

Figure 17: Interest in Culinary Activities of Austrians 36

Figure 18: Participation in Culinary Activities during the last three vacations 37

Figure 19: Interest in Culinary Topics 39

Figure 20: Evaluation of Culinary Offers in Austria 41

List of Abbreviations

ANTO Austrian National Tourist Office

OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and

Development

SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science

UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organisation

UNWTO United Nations World Tourism Organisation

as lifestyle and atmosphere, could be identified (OECD, 2012, p 14) This needs to

be considered by the destinations and regions to attract consumers to Austria Therefore, motivations to travel to certain destinations have changed

In the following section the research problem, the aim of the research and the search questions will be determined Moreover, the research design and a chapter outline will be provided This Bachelor Paper was composed as part of the IMC FH Krems, University of Applied Science research project “Kostbares Österreich” and additional data was obtained by a survey conducted in the purpose of this project

re-1.1 Research Problem

The objective of the chosen research topic “Culinary Tourism –Travel Motivation and Destination Choice Behaviour” is to evaluate the culinary tourist`s motivation and the behaviour in the decision making process of the culinary tourist in Austria

In the last decades a huge body of literature concerning consumer behaviour in tourism has been conducted Various methods to measure the decision making pro-cess were established and adapted (Pearce, 2005, pp 104-106) The process to finalize a decision is rather complex and various factors have an influence on the final outcome Understanding these intrinsic and exogenous factors provide an in-sight in the behaviour of decision making of tourists and should be taken into con-sideration by marketers while creating new tourism strategies and products A key

limitation of the research concerning the destination choice behaviour of the culinary tourist in Austria could be identified Therefore, it is essential that research on this topic is conducted to determine the intrinsic and exogenous factors influencing the decision making process of culinary tourists and to gain insight into the interests and preferences regarding food and beverages of travellers in Austria

1.2 Aim of the Research and Research Question

The aim of the research project is to evaluate the most important factors influencing the choice of destination of culinary tourists in Austria Special focus is given to the role of motivations and determinants on the decision making process Furthermore, consumer’s interest and the existing demand in culinary offers in Austria should be evaluated and possible solutions shall be drawn

The research questions can therefore be formulated as follows:

 What are main travel motivations of culinary tourist in Austria in the context

of the travel decision?

 Which economic, sociological and psychological determinants influence the destination choice of the culinary tourist?

 Which culinary tourism offers are of interest for culinary tourists?

1.3 Research Design

Several research methods were used to investigate the research questions These methods consist of secondary as well as primary data, which will be discussed in detail in chapter 4

To explore the demand side for culinary tourism and obtain primary data, a tative approach was utilized to carry out the research This method was chosen as

quanti-it allows to obtain a statistically valid (Malhotra, 2010, p 171) and reliable sample of

a population (Veal, 2006, p 40)

As a first step, a throughout investigation of secondary data about the key concepts

of the thesis by means of literature review were conducted For this purpose, books, articles of journals, reports statistics about culinary tourism and consumer behaviour were analysed The purpose of literature review is to examine the already existing knowledge on a certain topic as well as to identify gaps in the literature In every research, conducting literature review and the identification of the existing literature connected to the researched topic is a crucial aspect (Veal, 2006, p 121)

An online survey was carried out to examine the consumer’s destination choice haviour and interest in culinary tourism offers in Austria This method is designed to elicit specific information of an extended number or participants in form of a struc-tured questionnaire (Malhotra, 2010, p 211)

be-A detailed explanation of the planning and execution of the online survey will be discussed in chapter 4.4

1.4 Chapter Outline

This chapter illustrates the content of each chapter of the Bachelor Paper II It plains the background study, definition of terminology, analysis of the findings and the conclusion In the end, the first draft of the chapter outline of the Bachelor Paper

ex-II will be discussed

Chapter two has a focus on destination choice behaviour The decision making cess is identified and models are discussed In addition, travel motivation and de-terminants influencing the choice of destination are given

pro-In chapter three a definition and the historical background of culinary tourism will be described Furthermore, culinary tourism in Austria will be outlined before an adap-tation of the destination choice behaviour to the culinary tourist is explained

Chapter four is devoted to the detailed explanation of the methodology employed First, literature review will be explained followed by discussion of the method of the online survey carried out

In chapter five, the analysis of the findings retrieved from the questionnaire ducted will be explained It will deal with the detection of the main travel motives and the factors influencing the destination choice behaviour of the culinary tourist Fur-thermore, the interest in culinary activities and products will be evaluated

con-The final and sixth chapter of the paper the findings derived from the research will

be summarized and a conclusion will be drawn The research questions posed in chapter one will be answered and implications for practice will be given Moreover, the limitations of the research and the recommendations for further research will be discussed to conclude the paper

2 Destination Choice Behaviour

Destination choice is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon Various internal and external factors have an impact on the decision Furthermore, multiple destination choice models were developed to observe the behaviour of tourists

One of the most commonly used exemplar, the choice set model, was identified by Crompton who conceptualized the decision making process into a two-stage method (Um & Crompton, 1990, p 437) This approach was then extended to a three-stage model by various other researchers (Pearce, 2005, p 106)

The determinants of this method are divided into three choice sets – internal input, external input and individual constraints Through the input of internal and external elements, tourists feel the desire to make holidays Locations, concerning the long-ing to go on vacation are in the awareness set of travellers and are evaluated By measuring the impact of exogenous factors such as money or time, an evoked set

of destinations is developed Travellers will look for further information to decide on

a final destination (Pearce, 2005, pp 104-112)

Another similar model was created by Woodside and Lysonski who initiated a model that illustrates the preferences, intentions and the final choice result of the decision making process of a tourist as a categorization process of destinations (Sirakaya & Woodside, 2005, p 822)

As shown in figure 1 the authors examine two categories, which have an influence

on the decision making process At first, the involvement of marketing variables cluding product, place, price and promotion, have an impact on the destination awareness followed by the intrinsic variables of the individual traveller such as val-ues and lifestyle, experience and socio-demographic factors (Fletcher, Fyall, Gilbert, & Wanhill, 2013, p 57)

in-Prominent destinations are placed into a series of four sets by the tourist before forming preferences (Sirakaya & Woodside, 2005, p 822) These four destination awareness sets are the consideration set, the inert set, the unavailable and aware set and the inept set (Woodside & Lysonski, 1989, p 8)

Through the possible influence of affective associations, either positive or negative sentiments correlated with a destination, final preferences are developed At last,

Figure 1: General Model of Traveler Leisure Destination Awareness and

Choice

Source: modified after Woodside & Lysonski (1989, p 9)

the intention to visit a destination is induced by situational variables, which enact as moderators between intention and choice (Sirakaya & Woodside, 2005, p 822)

This destination choice approach was adopted in the questionnaire of the Bachelor Thesis II to observe the destination choice behaviour of culinary tourists in Austria

In both models explained above intrinsic and exogenous factors have an impact on the destination choice process These two elements, the internal aspect, motivation and the external, determinants, will be discussed in detail in the following two sub-chapters to get a profound understanding of the entire decision making process

2.1 Travel Motivation

An essential element to understand the behaviour of a tourist is motivation, the ergiser in the decision making process Moreover, a connection between motivation and consumer satisfaction is given (World Tourism Organization, 2012, p 7)

en-According to Fletcher et al (2013, p 42) motivation derives from the verb “’motivate’, which is to cause a person to act in a certain way or to stimulate interest.” Motivation has two functions - directing a potential tourist in a specific behaviour and energetic activation (Mason & Paggiaro, 2009, pp 367-368) Therefore, motives either inspire

an individual to go on a holiday or stimulate the tourist to take an explicit vacation to

a certain destination at a concrete period of the year (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007,

p 53)

Various theories have been developed to clarify motivation The most important one

is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which identifies a hierarchy of five individual, but mutually exclusive needs: “[…] psychological, safety, social, esteem and self-actu-alization (Tikkanen, 2007, p 722) The satisfaction of the lower level needs has to

be achieved before proceeding to the upper hierarchies Therefore, it can be cluded that the desire for services or products is contingent on the degree of satis-fied needs (Solomon, 2011, pp 161-162)

con-Figure 2: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Another model classified in the literature is the push- pull theory of motivations, resenting the internal and external stimuli of tourists behaviour (Kim, Goh, & Yuan,

rep-2010, p 59) The driving forces of the decision making behaviour are indicated by this theory (Smith, Costello, & Muenchen, 2010, p 19)

The needs of the individual tourist and the socio-psychological motives are terised by the push factors, which occur due to an inequality and tension in the mo-tivational system The elements, which attract a tourist to a particular sight or activity and motivate and inspire a tourist to choose a destination are the pull factors (Kim, Goh, & Yuan, 2010, p 59; Smith & Costello, 2009, p 46; Smith et al., 2010, pp 18-19) Push factors are escape, social interaction, rest and relaxation, cultural experi-ence and novelty while culture and history, outdoor/nature, wilderness, core attrac-tions and local cuisine were identified as elements to pull a traveller to a destination (Mason & Paggiaro, 2009, p 371).These pull factors, also called determinants, will

charac-be explained in the following paragraphs

2.2 Determinants of Demand

Determinants are “those factors which determine whether or not someone will be able to take a holiday (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007, p 62).” These aspects can be alienated into interior and exterior factors Internal elements of tourist behaviour are

Source: modified after Fletcher et al (2013, p 42)

perception and attitude, personality, past experiences, knowledge of the destination and products available and circumstances such as disposable income, health and family and work commitment Exterior factors can be broken down into political fac-tors, the influence of relatives and friends, technology, media and the national and global socioeconomic components (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007, pp 62-65)

One main element stimulating the decision making process concerning the destination choice behaviour, is the destination image Pearce (2005, p 106) remarked that the presentation of the characteristics of a destination and the connection to psychological components have an impact on the destination image perceived by tourists

Based on psychological and individual circumstances, particular components are perceived as predominant Determinants will vary of importance, because of a change in priorities and experiences Furthermore, interior and exterior factors are influenced by the composition of rational decision making, last minute purchases, holiday parties, and unforeseen opportunities and circumstances (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007, pp 62-67)

All in all, it can be said that destination choice behaviour is a compound process Determinants such as motives and destination image have a major impact on the behaviour Therefore, characteristics of the destination should satisfy the needs of tourists Moreover, the outcome is influenced by various sub-decisions (Pearce,

2005, pp 111-112)

In the following chapter it is shown how these findings can be adapted to the needs

of a culinary tourist

3 Culinary Tourism

“Everybody needs to eat! (Hall, 2012, p 3)”

Throughout the history, food played a significant role for the human experience The primer role of food is to sustain life Moreover, it contributes to celebrations, sociali-sation and entertainment In addition, knowledge about other nations and culture can be obtained by engaging in culinary activities in foreign countries (Mitchell & Hall, 2003, p 60)

Another definition contrived by the world food travel association (2013) states it as

“ the pursuit and enjoyment of unique and memorable food and drink experiences, both far and near.”

Therefore, culinary tourism is not just about satisfying a basic need It is part of an experience influenced by historical, sociological and psychological aspects (Long, 2014) Furthermore, it is an interaction between agriculture, food and tourism (Visentin, 2011, p XIII)

Different synonyms for culinary tourism are used to market various destinations The touristic activity of trying local food and drinks and participating in culinary offers such as wine tastings are also called Gastronomy tourism, Food and wine tourism, Cuisine tourism, Food travel, Gourmet travel, Culinary and Oenology tourism, Win-ing and Dining tourism, Foodie tourism, Culinary treks or eating holiday (Kivela,

2012, p 86)

Culinary tourism is a component of cultural tourism and a special interest tourism Furthermore, it can be defined as “travel for people who are going somewhere be-cause they have a particular interest that can be pursued in a particular region or at

a particular destination (Yuan, Cai, Morrison, & Linton, 2005, p 43).” The relation of culinary tourism and cultural and heritage tourism depends on the activity patterns

of tourists and the conservation and maintenance of traditional foodways and its production as well as attractiveness of distinctive food offers and cuisine (Hall, 2012,

p 3) Furthermore, especially rural areas profit from a positive economic impact of culinary tourism Food and wine tourism create branding opportunities, employment and attract travellers with higher income (Hall, Sharples, & Smith, 2003, p 317) These tourists have the desire to be part of an authentic to them not common expe-rience and therefore are willing to spend more money (Blakey, 2011, p 51)

3.2 History of Gastronomy Tourism

Wine and Food became a travel product in the early mid-nineteenth century The first food styles, food categories and restaurants were established and the first cook-books were published, even though the number of culinary tourists was insignificant Due to the enhancement of technology, individuals were able to travel greater dis-tances in less time, which had an impact on the establishment of the initial wine trails and roads in the 1920’s After World War II, the significance of food augmented due to the availability of new convenience goods and the modification of technology and infrastructure (Hall & Mitchell, 2005, pp 75-76)

Food has become a major component in lifestyle of the modern society in the 1970’s, due to the rise of the celebrity restaurants and chefs Before long, traveling to des-tinations to consume “distinctive” food and wine became a sign of prestige and wealth (Hall & Mitchell, 2005, pp 75-76) Recently, food tourism developed to a key motive to travel to a certain destination (Smith et al., 2010, pp 19-20)

3.3 Food and Wine Tourism in Austria

Austria is a country with a rich history and heritage Due to its former crown lands, the Austrian cuisine was influenced by diverse cultures With its multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nationalities of Hungary, Poland, Bohemia, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia and immigrants from Dalmatia, Trieste, Subcarpathia, Carniola and Bukovina, Vi-enna became the multi-pot of culinary, where the numerous recipes and dishes were fully integrated into the Austrian cuisine (Austria Tourism Board, 2015; OECD, 2012,

p 138)

Moreover, numerous regions in Austria have established their own local dishes such

as the “Gröstl” in Tyrol or the “Salzburger Nockerln” (Austria Tourism Board, 2015) Latter, is a popular dish, which represents a cultural heritage due to its connection with its origin, the city of Salzburg, and is used as a marketing tool for tourism in the city of Salzburg, since potential tourists connect this dish with its origin Further gas-tronomy traditions, which have the same potential are the Linz cakes, the Krems mustard or the Wiener Schnitzel (Attl, Mičková, & Studnička, 2012, pp 56-57) Furthermore, the wine regions of Austria are of importance concerning culinary tour-ism in Austria One of the most visited places in Austria connected with culinary tourism is the Wachau of the Danube District in Lower Austria The UNESCO cul-tural heritage site is famous for its wines, especially the Riesling, green Vetlin (Grü-ner Vetliner) and the Neuburg wine Apart from wine, the Wachau region is also known for the Kremser mustard, a mustard, which is softened with wine instead of vinegar and the Wachauer apricot Another important region of Austria is Styria with its pumpkin seed oil, occasionally called “the black gold of Styria” and the wines of the region (Attl et al., 2012, pp 58-59; Austria Tourism Board, 2015)

Marketers of Austria identified that culinary plays a role in the destination choice of tourists and are offering culinary tours and packages in combination with other cul-tural experiences (Austria Tourism Board, 2015).The broad variety of dishes and traditions and Austria being a pioneer in organic agriculture in Europe provide a chance to adapt to the trend of authenticity, accountability, regionalism and respon-sibility (König, 2013, p 14)

To strengthen this trend in Austria various co-operations among tourism and culture were developed on a local and regional level (Meyer-Czech, 2003, p 149) One of this cooperation’s is the label “Genussregion Österreich”, which was estab-lished to strengthen the special local foods produced in various regions all over Aus-tria and to sustain knowledge about the traditions to locals and tourists The asso-ciation acknowledged a total of 119 local specialities, which act as labels for region-alism, quality and responsibility (König, 2013, p 16; Verein Genuss Region Österreich, 2014)

agri-3.4 The Culinary Tourist

Every tourist is, to some extent, a culinary tourist due to the fact that all travellers need to drink and eat (World Food Travel Association, 2013) More precisely a cul-inary tourist can be defined as a traveller with a wish for an authentic experience to gain knowledge about the product and its origin Moreover, a culinary tourist has a desire to socialize with locals and other travellers and has a high disposable income (World Tourism Organization, 2012, p 10)

The culinary tourist pays for an experience with a focus on service, which is an intangible component, than the tangible component, in this case food or drinks To find a fitting holiday, a range of choices need to be made by the food tourist The outcome of the decision making process is influenced by several variables These factors are divided into two basic elements – energisers of demand and effectors or determinants of demand (Swarbrooke & Horner, 2007, p 51)

Food and wine play a major role in any kind of tourism since the need of food affects the decision making and the travel behaviour of individuals (Hall et al, 2003, p 10)

Differences can be observed among travellers, who show a high interest into nary, hence and are highly motivated to participate in Gourmet Tourism, Gastro-nomic Tourism and Cuisine Tourism, and tourists who have a rather low interest in food and drinks The main motivation of gourmet tourists is to visit exclusive, high rated and/or expensive restaurants, festivals and wineries A broader interest in cul-ture, production and landscapes of food and drinks have travellers participating in

culi-gastronomic and culinary tourism A particular interest in a concrete type of cuisine

is reflected by the cuisine tourists All of the participants in the tourism types engage

in various culinary activities (Hall & Mitchell, 2005, pp 74-75)

Concern-Source: modified after Hall et.al (2003, p 11)

Figure 3: Food Tourism as a Niche and Special Interest Tourism

4 Methodology

This chapter provides an overview about the methodology, which was used to duct the Bachelor Paper II Moreover, this Bachelor Thesis was part of the university project “Kostbares Österreich” Additional data was obtained from a questionnaire also conducted for the purpose of “Kostbares Österreich” and included in the anal-ysis of this thesis

on the research project (Veal, 2006, pp 122-126)

To review literature various methods can be applied These approaches are sive bibliography, inclusive/evaluative review, exploratory review, instrumental re-view and analysis and hermeneutics For the Bachelor Thesis II exploratory review was utilized, which is the most classic review method (Veal, 2006, pp 127-130) In addition, to acquire the significant content for the research project, all sources need

inclu-to be read critical, conscious and creative (Veal, 2006, pp 131-133)

For the purpose of the Bachelor Paper II, literature review was carried out in order

to get an overview about the previous research conducted, to identify the research gap and to get an idea concerning the research project

4.2 Quantitative Research

Quantitative research is “ a research methodology that seeks to quantify the data and, typically, applies some form of statistical analysis (Malhotra, 2010, p 171).” To ensure the reliability, a large number of representative cases is required (Veal, 2006,

p 40)

Other characteristics of quantitative research are the application of structured data collection methods, in particular questionnaire and observation, and the quantifica-tion of data through the application of statistical analysis Since the topic of the Bach-elor Paper II is focused on the travel motivation and the destination choice behaviour

of culinary tourists a quantitative approach, an online survey, was chosen to obtain

a statistically valid and reliable sample of the population of Austria

4.3 Survey Methods

In tourism and leisure research, the survey approach is the most commonly ployed primary data collection method (Veal, 2006, p 231) “A survey method is a structured questionnaire given to a sample of a population and designed to elicit specific information from respondents (Malhotra, 2010, p 211).”

em-Several positive aspects concerning the usage of survey methods are given At first, this quantitative approach to gather data is facile to administer Due to the set of predetermined answers the data achieved are reliable Furthermore, coding, analy-sis and the interpretation of a survey method is facile (Malhotra, 2010, p 211)

Moreover, the disadvantages of the survey method need to be considered The proper wording of the questions need to be ensured to overcome the reluctance and inability of the respondent to answer A loss of validity may occur due to fixed alter-native questions Finally, the willingness of the respondent to reply to sensitive and personal questions is limited (Malhotra, 2010, p 211)

Survey methods may be classified into four major modes – personal interviews, ephone interview, mail interviews and electronic interviews (Malhotra, 2010, p 212)

tel-To gather the information needed to answer the research questions of the Bachelor

Paper II, an electronic interview method, namely an online survey, was employed This will be explained in the following subchapter

4.4 Online Survey

As mentioned above a online survey was employed to gather the primary data for the Bachelor Thesis II By logging into a specific website, respondents were able to conclude the questionnaire online Therefore, the required data can be validated right after the completion of the questionnaire (Veal, 2006, p 244)

The completion of the survey is rather anonymous and less time consuming than other research methods The prospect to use stimuli such as sounds, graphics and animations is an advantage of a web survey Moreover, check boxes, data entry fields and skip patterns can be pre-set (Malhotra, 2010, p 219)

A disadvantage of internet survey is the requirement of internet access To decrease invalid responses, a special focus needs to be taken in the design of the question-naire, since online interviews are conducted without the presence of an interviewer (Veal, 2006, pp 233-235)

For fielding an online survey various web-based services are available (Malhotra,

2010, p 220) Through the development of an online questionnaire this module ports a distribution of the survey to a large amount of participants Furthermore, the data collection is simple (Schmitz, 2014)

sup-4.4.1 Questionnaire

To acquire the given sample of 255 participants throughout Austria, an online survey was conducted The open source survey application Limesurvey® was used to pro-gram the developed questionnaire The online survey consists of open-ended and closed-ended questions The open-ended question were based on the theory of Woodside and Lysonski, who developed this concept to get an insight into the des-tination choice behaviour of tourists Additional open-questions were asked to get further knowledge of the reasons behind the before mentioned responses Due to programming issues an open-ended question had to be adapted to a close-ended

with given options The choices to answer these question were obtained and adapted to data of Statistik Austria This theory was explained in detail in chapter three In the closed-ended question, possible answers as well as an option for an additional answer were given The closed- ended questions were based on the lit-erature review

4.4.2 Pretesting

Pretesting was conducted in two steps Primarily, personal interviews were done to eliminate and identify potential problems before programming the online survey to observe the attitudes and reactions of respondents

Furthermore, after the necessary changes, a link with the planned questionnaire was sent out to a small sample of respondents to test form and layout, sequences, question content, question difficulty, wording and the instructions of the question-naire (Malhotra, 2010, p 354)

Furthermore, convenience sampling was employed “This sampling technique tempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements (Malhotra, 2010, p 377).” Ad-vantages of this sampling technique are that it is time efficient, quantifiable, easy

at-accessible and inexpensive The participants are chosen by the interviewer fore, an selection bias and a limitation in obtaining an authentic sample of the pop-ulation can occur (Malhotra, 2010, p 377)

There-In case of this Bachelor Paper II various demographic quotas were applied and in a second step convenience sampling was employed The relevant control character-istics were gender, age and the federal district of Austria These demographic fea-tures assured that the sample had the same composition as the target population of the Bachelor Paper II

The recruiting of participants of the online questionnaire was done via personal tacts, social media and referrals of other respondents To analyse the acquired data the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22 and Microsoft Excel

con-2013 were used to obtain various charts and calculations

4.5.1 Examination of Findings

The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 22, a software program for statistical analysis was used to examine the findings of the data Furthermore, Microsoft Excel 2013 was used to establish the graphs

To interpret the data collected, various types of analysis was done Frequency tribution, cross-tabulation, t-testing and chi-square testing were employed

dis-The findings of the collected data for the Bachelor Paper II are shown in chapter 5

of this thesis

4.5.2 Ethics of Online Surveys

Throughout the design and conduct of research and the reporting of results ethical issues can arise Therefore, principles, concerning research behaviour, need to be applied throughout the research process, to ensure the respect for the rights of the individuals involved in the research (Veal, 2006, p 70) General principles in re-search ethics concerning an online survey are (Veal, 2006, p 71):

 “that no harm should befall the research subjects;

 That subjects should take part freely, and

 That subjects should take part on the basis of informed consent.”

To ensure the informed consent of the participants, it is obligatory to provide a brief description of the purpose of the research that will be obtained Participants shall be aware of their free choice of participation, their right to refuse an answer and their right to withdraw of the research operation even when the whole process started already To protect participants of the project, confidentiality and anonymity of the data, which will be collected, needs to be guaranteed (Malhotra, 2014, p 271)

Moreover, additional ethical considerations are plagiarism and falsification of the research results (Veal, 2006, p 75)

5 Analysis and Findings

In this chapter the individual questions which were developed with the aim of swering the research questions of this Bachelor Thesis are evaluated and dis-cussed

an-The final number of responses amounted to n=255, which corresponds to a sponse rate of 51% For the analysis of the collected data, all responses were taken into consideration although 31 participants did not complete the whole question-naire

re-Concerning the demographics of the online survey conducted more females (60,5%) than males (39,5%) took part in this study Almost half of the respondents were aged between 15 to 30 years (48,4%), followed by the age group of 31-49 (29,7%) and the cohort of 50+ (21,9%) The origins of the participants are Lower Austria (22,7%), Vienna (19,9%), Upper Austria (12,5%), Vorarlberg (12,1%), Styria (11,7%), Salz-burg (7,8%), Carinthia (4,3%) and the Burgenland (3,5%).It may be assumed that the high number of responses from Vorarlberg exist due to the origin of the author

of this paper The demographic characteristic are illustrated in the Appendix

The most important findings derived from the online survey are summarized and interpreted in the following section

5.1 Destination Choice Behaviour

This chapter focuses on the destination choice behaviour of tourists in Austria As mentioned above the destination choice model of Woodside and Lysonski was used

to get insight into the behaviour of travellers A large number of different countries was stated To ease the responses to these questions the countries were sorted by groups

5.1.1 Consideration Set

Figure 4 shows the countries associated spontaneously with culinary tourism About half of the respondents (47,1%) mentioned Italy as the primer holiday destination

associated with culinary tourism followed by Austria (14,1%) and France (13,3%) which show a significantly lower response rate

Figure 4: Association of Countries to Culinary and Travel

This findings imply that Italy, Austria and France are the three main countries in the consideration set of the participants This result is supported by Statistik Austria who produced a study concerning the leisure and business travels in Austria revealing that the top ten outbound destinations of the Austrian population are Italy, Germany, Croatia, Spain, Greece, Turkey, France, Hungary, Great Britain and Switzerland (Statistik Austria, 2014, p 24)

Moreover, the association of Austria as a culinary destination is reflected by various best practice examples concerning co-operations between agriculture and tourism

North- and South America

Africa, Australien and Oceania

Consideration Set of Countries

1.mention 2.mention 3.mention

Question 1: When you think about countries to visit on a culinary holiday, what tries first come to your mind?

coun-Basis: Total (n=255); in %

which exist in this country Various food and wine trails such as the Cheese Trail Bregenzerwald (Meyer-Czech, 2003, pp 149-154) as well as the new product “ex-periential tourism”, also known as the “Genussregion Österreich” were established

to increase rural tourism in Austria (Attl et al., 2012, p 57)

5.1.2 Inert Set

Within the inert set France is the most frequently mentioned country In fact, France was mention more often in the inert set than in other mental categories In addition, the Asian countries were mentioned more frequently

Figure 5: Countries Taken into Consideration, but not Visited yet

Spain India Japan Italy Rest of Europe

Asia USA and Canada

South America

Carribean Islands

Africa Australia and Oceania

Inert Set of Countries

1.mention 2.mention 3.mention

Question 2: Of all the countries in the world, what countries associated with culinary tourism could you most easily visit but you never really think about going there?

Basis: Total (n=215), in %

This findings may suggest that due to the relative proximity of France to Austria this particular destination is reduced in consideration for visiting Other destinations are perceived as more important to visit due to the possibility to visit France at any point

of time

The reasons for not visiting the particular destinations mentioned above are shown

in figure 6 A lack of time and financial resources were stated as the main reasons for not travelling to the destinations mention in the respective graph Furthermore,

no given possibility, distance and the priority of other countries were listed as rather important reasons

Figure 6: Reasons for not Visiting Countries in Inert Set

It may be assumed that the high number in lack of time is stated due to the fact that about half of the participants of this study are within the age group between 15-30 years and are either still obtaining an degree of education or have rather young families

Nicolau and Más (2006, pp 990-992) identified that financial reasons and distance have an impact on the destination choice, but are moderated by other motivations such as climate or broadening cultural knowledge

Question 3: Why did not you consider these countries?

Basis: Total (n=215), in absolute numbers

5.1.3 Unavailable/Aware Set

Figure 7 shows the unavailable/ aware set consisting of the countries which are beheld as difficult to go on vacation to Due to the large number of mentioned des-tinations the results were grouped to get an easier understanding of the graph Within this set 13,9% of the participants consider Thailand as the most difficult coun-try to get to for vacation The same number also occurs in the inert set of this study

Figure 7: Set of as Difficult to Travel to Perceived Countries

The majority of these countries are situated on a different continent and therefore a greater distance and a longer travel time to the destinations is required A substan-tial proportion of subjects stated Asian countries as part of the unavailable/ aware set This can be explained with the previous and current unstable political situations

Rest of Europe

Australia and New Zealand

Unavailable/ Aware Set of Countries

1.mention 2.mention 3.mention

Question 4: Of all the countries in the world, what countries associated with culinary tourism could you most easily visit but you never really think about going there?

Basis: total (n=214); in %

in some parts of this area such as in Russia, Iraq, Thailand or in the Middle East and supported by the findings of Woodside and Lysonski (1989, p 12)

Furthermore, this results can be reinforced by the replies concerning the reasons of not visiting an as “difficult to travel to” perceived country Within the respondents unavailable/ aware set financial reasons to not visit a country gained in importance followed by distance

Figure 8: Restraining facts for not Visiting Countries in Unavailable/Aware Set

These findings are supported by Nicolau and Más ( (2006, p 986) who stated that financial reasons and distance have an impact on the destination choice behaviour

of tourists

Moreover, the higher importance rating of an unstable situation was also identified

by Summers and McColl-Kennedy (1998, p 52) who also identified a difference between nationalities concerning this topic

54 52

34 32

21 18

5.1.4 Inept Set

Within the inept set, shown in Figure 9, Great Britain, the United States of America and Russia were discussed as being of no interest to visit in particular for a culinary holiday

Figure 9: Countries Given no Interest to Travel to

This finding shows that some countries are not allied with culinary tourism and rather have a bad image concerning food at those destinations and/or people are not aware of the variety the destinations are offering One of these countries is Great Britain which is rather known for its hearty dishes Nonetheless, a revolution can be seen with popular chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey

Another destination whose culinary heritage is underestimated by most travellers is the United States of America Due to its rich agriculture, ethnical and geographical

Rest of Europe

Africa North-and South America

Australia and New Zealand

Inept Set of Countries

1.mention 2.mention 3.mention

Question 6: What countries would you not be interested in visiting, in particular for a culinary holiday trip?

Basis: total (n=213), in %

Basis: total (n=213/153/83); in %

diversity and history this country provides a broad variety of dishes (Discover America, 2015, p 3) Furthermore, the substantial augmentation of Russia can be explained with participants of the study not being aware of the cuisine offered in this country It can be assumed that the low interest in visiting Germany results due to the close proximity of Austria as well as the similar culture and cuisine

The reasons for not visiting the countries mentioned in the inept set of the tion choice approach are shown in figure 10 Subjects stated that no interest exists concerning the local food and beverages in the mentioned respective destinations Moreover, different eating habits seem to play an important role for not travelling to these destinations for the purpose of making culinary experiences

destina-Figure 10: Justification for not Visiting Countries in Inept Set

The findings show that in the inept set the reasons mentioned by the participants for not travelling to the stated destinations are more connected to culinary than the rea-sons discussed in the inert- and unavailable/ aware set The results show that trav-ellers are often afraid to taste new food and prefer familiar meals This outcome is supported by the OECD (2012, p 20) who stated that tourists are often more com-

Question 7: Why don’t you want to visit the destinations you mentioned above?

Basis: total (n= 221), in absolute numbers

Furthermore, a lack of information concerning the food and beverages of tions and regions as well as a wrongly perceived images could be identified There-fore, it is recommended that destinations and travel agents provide more information concerning the eating habits in other countries

destina-Additionally, people were asked to state how many days out of 30 are spent at given destinations On average the most days spent are in Italy (9 days) and in France (7 days)

Figure 11: Average Day spent at a Destination

These findings are partly supported by a study conducted by Statistik Austria (2014) The majority of the average days spent at a location regarding the outcome of this survey is lower than the results obtained by Statistik Austria A huge difference can

be seen between Italy, with an average of 9 days in this study and an average of 5,5 days in the data found by Statistik Austria Furthermore, the average number for days spent in Greece is higher in the results of Statistik Austria (10,1 days) than the data acquired by this study (6,4 days)

Basis: total (n=239), in absolute numbers

5.2 Association of Countries

In addition to the questions regarding the choice sets, subjects were asked to state associations concerning destinations Due to limited space in this Bachelor Thesis only the correlations concerning the two top destinations Italy and Austria are dis-cussed below Figure 12 shows the association which were stated by participants

of the study concerning Italy

Figure 12: Associations of Italy

It can be said that as primer associations participants mentioned good meals, pasta, pizza and wine In addition, the landscape, the sea and the beach are important Moreover, respondents associated Italy with its lifestyle “La Dolce Vita” and the overall hospitality of Italians

Comparing this findings with the association related to Austria in figure 12 below, a difference can be identified Mental connections concerning Austria have a focus on nature Words as mountains, lakes and landscape are applicable In addition, the

Question 11: What come to your mind if you think of Italy?

Basis: total (n=239)

traditional outfits, the Lederhosen and the Dirndl, as well as wine and good cuisine are mentioned Therefore, it can be said that the image of Austria is not as related

motiva-Question 11: What come to your mind if you think of Austria?

Basis: total (n=239)

Figure 14: Travel Motives of Austrians

This findings imply that the main push factor are the need for relaxation and the desire to experience a new culture Moreover, these results are supported by Hu et

al (2013, p 481) and Ignatov and Smith (2006, p 246) who found out that food and wine tourists main travel motivation is relaxation Hu et al (2013, p 481) explained that visitors search for a food experience differing from everyday life to reduce the tension and anxieties of life and escape the routines at home

In many literature studies it was identified that trying local cuisine can be discussed

as part of the overall cultural experience Tasting local food and drinks provides an insight into local traditions and habits and knowledge about these customs can be acquired (World Tourism Organization, 2012, p 11)

5.4 Determinants of Destination Choice

Figure 15 provides an overview about the determinants which influence the nation choice of culinary tourists in Austria More than half of the respondents (56,4%) mentioned that the disposable income has a high influence on the decision making followed by the landscape (42,9%) and the personal state of health (36,9%)