CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.4 Theories and Concept about Festivals
2.4.4 Local Food Festivals
Local food festivals may offer tourists an overall host of sensory experiences while engaging with a destination (Chang, 2011; Long, 2013).
Food-related events represent the opportunities to encourage and promote culinary products and enhance a destination attraction (Du Rand & Heath, 2006; Getz, 2000). In addition, exceptional food in the term of local or rural food events provide the visitors with opportunities to attempt a new and different food venue, such as the unique food festival is held for the travelers who concerned about a new creation and taste of food (Everett & Aitchison, 2008; Kim & Eves, 2012).
The food event offers the functional value in consumption activities that could change with tourist’s life events (Schäfer, Jaeger-Erben, & Bamberg, 2012).
Moreover, there are various local Barbecue competitions throughout the United States of America, where over 200 yearly competitions are the most attractive food destinations in the country. Those competitions bring local cuisine experience over competition and demonstration, contributing to more profound gratitude for local values and ethos (Deutsch, 2004; Middleton, Barbone, Johnson, & Thurmond, 1999).
Local food festivals have consented destinations that differentiate from others and initiate the brand and image developing destination (Hall & Mitchell, 2007).
Events are food and wine festivals that fascinate a substantial number of tourists to a region and assist in figuring tourist’s loyalty to the area and region (Hoffman, Beverland, & Rasmussen, 2001; Wan & Chan, 2013). Local food festivals or events mainly described and focused on the ambiguity that surrounds the idea of “local”
food, the term local was explained and understood as a circumscribed region contained by the products were sold and produced, or called “locality or specialty”
food that was meant as value-added products for export to other regions or countries (Morris & Buller, 2003). In addition, local food can be understood as a connection to a pursuit for authenticity that consumer demands for food perceived to be “local” and
“traditional” (Taylor, 2001). Food festival impacts are occasionally reflective and histrionic (Bruwer, 2002; Okumus, Okumus, & McKercher, 2007), whereas growing
visibility, awareness, and economic activities of unique localities. Although less research has been provided on the role of local food festivals, such festivals as events repeatedly appeal to and attract a considerable quantity of visitors to a county and support building tourist behavioral intention and loyalty to a local food festival destination. Therefore, local food festivals should be organized to appropriately serve and gain food tourist intention and loyalty among competitive advantages.
Local food festivals as special events have an attentive impact on a local community, economy, culture, and society, particularly in developing a destination’s image or uniqueness and producing new tourists segments into the destination (Getz, 2008; Vajirakachorn & Chongwatpol, 2017). Both first-time and revisited travelers attend the festival for various reasons such as recreation, education, entertainment, and relaxation to seek their new experiences (Li, Cheng, Kim, & Petrick, 2008).
Mainly, Thailand is rich with valued resources to fulfill tourists’ demands, such as food. Considering, Thailand also has attractive food festivals organized by the public and private sectors throughout the country. Moreover, food festivals need an identity to be tacit by participants; the identity of food festivals can provide significant guidelines for the values of organizing food festival intentions to the visitors (Einarsen & Mykletun, 2009). Therefore, Table 2.1 presents the frequencies of local food festivals, including fruits and beverages, in Thailand.
Table 2.1 The Frequencies of Local Food Festival in Thailand Since 2013
Period Name of Local Food Festivals
Type of
Events/Festivals Venue
January 5 Nationals Food Festival Annual festival Sangklaburi city, Kanchanaburi Province Bangkok Food Festival Special Event
2018
Central world Square A-C, Bangkok Thailand February La-Ngu Food Festival
2017
Special Event 2017
Kamphaeng
Municipal District,
Period Name of Local Food Festivals
Type of
Events/Festivals Venue
Satun Province Good Food Festival Annual festival Song Pi Nong,
Supanburi Phuket Chinses New Year
Day and Old Phuket Town Festival
Annual festival Phuket Town, Phuket Province
February- March
Eat around the City Special Event 2019
Platinum Fashion Mall, Bangkok Province March Thailand Coffee Fest.
(Including Food)
Annual festival Exhibitiona Hall, IMPACT,
Meaungthongthani, Nonthaburi Province 15th Samut Sakhon
Seafood Festival
Annual festival Embankment in front of the City Pillar Shrine in Muang district, Samut Sakhon Province Food Festival Annual festival Rayong Stadium,
Rayong Province Sea Food Festival Annual festival Talay Thai Market,
Samutsakorn Provice March -
April
Trang Food Festival Annual festival Somdech Phra
Srinagarindra Park 95 (Khao Pae Choi), Trang Province Sweet Grape and
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market Week Fair
Annual festival Wat Rajcharuentham Pier, Ratchaburi Province
Period Name of Local Food Festivals
Type of
Events/Festivals Venue
April Music, Art, Food, Craft Festival
Special Event 2018
Chomchan Beach, Lame Pak Bea, Petchanburi Province Nang Yai Wat Khanon
(Local food included)
Annual festival Wat Khanon,
Ratchaburi Province Fruits and Good Products
of Koh Chang Festival (OTOP)
Annual festival Koh Chang Stadium, Trad Province Eat Festival (Aroi Fin
around Thailand)
Special Event 2018
Maungthong Tani, Convention Hall, Nonthaburi Province May Rayong Fruit Festival Annual festival TaPhong Fruit
Central Market, Rayong Province 8 Riew Food Fest. Annual festival Bangprakong river
bank, Chachoengsao Province
May-June Songkhla Seafood Festival Special Event 2016
Sra Bua, Songkhla Province
June Amazing Thai Taste Festival 2017
Special Event 2017
Airport Rail Link Makkasan Station, Bangkok Province June-July Fun Food Fest “Thai – Eat
– Art – Gastronomy”
- Bang Saen beach’s Laem Thaen Plaza, Chonburi Province July Local Food Festival Annual festival Laem Thaen,
Chonburi Province Siam Food Festival 2017 Special Event Siam Paragon
Period Name of Local Food Festivals
Type of
Events/Festivals Venue
2017 Department Store, Bangkok Province Central Bangkok Tastes of
the World
- Bangkok Varee Floating Market - Central Food Hall World Gastronomy 2016 - Eathai Expansion
Special Event 2016
Central Department Stores, Bangkok Province
- In front of Central World
- Eden Zone 1-2 of Central World - Eathai, Central Embassy, LG floor August Trang Cake Festival Annual festival Rama V Monument,
Trang Province Samui Coconut Festival Annual festival Chaweng Beach /
Bo Phut Beach, Ko Samui, Surat Thani September Trang Roast Pork Festival Annual festival Trang Province
Hau Hin Food Festival Annual festival Queens Park 19 rai, Hua Hin District, Prachuap Khiri Khan Phuket Tasty Fest 2018 Special Event
2018
72nd Anniversary Queen Sirikit Park, Thalang Road Khao Ho or Ang Mi
Thong Festival
Annual festival Ratchaburi Province October Trang Vegetarian Festival Annual festival Trang Province
Hat Yai Vegetarian Festival
Annual festival Hat Yai District, Song Khla Province
Period Name of Local Food Festivals
Type of
Events/Festivals Venue
Phuket Vegetarian Festival Annual festival Phuket Province November The Amazing Tastes of
Thailand
Special Event (Thainess campaign)
Thalang Road, Muang, Phuket Province Local food and Noodle
Festival/ Local Food Fair:
delicious noodle in Kamphaengphet
Annual festival Cultural area in Sirijit Park, Ping River,
Kamphaengphet Province
December Vichien Buri Chicken and Food Festival
Annual festival Vichien Buri
District, Phetchabun province
BBQ Festival Annual festival Muang District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province
Phisanulok Street Food Festival and Countdown
Annual festival Muang District, Phisanulok Province Eating “Pla Tu” festival
(Sadines fish)
Annual festival Samutsongkram Province
Phuket Amazing Colorful Taste 2018
- Loma Patong Public
Park in Phuket Province Kai Yang Day Fried
Korat Noddle
Annual festival Nakornratchasima Province
Source: TAT (2017a).
Table 2.1 presents the food festivals based on local food since 2013.
Throughout Thailand, food festivals are organized with various names and themes to attract food tourists to consume the local food with its uniqueness. Therefore, every
month the local food festival is held to motivate tourists and encourage the local community to increase the economy of communities by a higher level and tourist’s number annually.
According to the literature discussion, it can be found that “local food festival” has the potential to play a fundamental part within the sustainable tourism schema, which compassing related things from concerns about local food to a visitor or consumer demands for more tourist experiences of food tourists (Sims, 2009). Food festivals were organized as tourist destinations to festinate visitors who escape their place to food sites (Hall, Longo, Mitchell, & Johnson, 1996).
Numerous travel destinations organize food festivals to encourage the location as a tourist attraction, emphasize the attractive place of local shops and restaurants that can create gratitude for specific kinds of food, improve and develop awareness and loyalty, and provide educational occasions. In addition, food can generate knowledge and attention, resulting in increased food consumption (Hall &
Mitchell, 2007). Accordingly, food festivals represent the educational, cultural, and leisure sources of space that gain significant value to the local food economy and industry from food tourists (Symon, 2005). Therefore, local food festivals will be studied in this thesis by applying food tourism to complete the study.