The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...
The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...
The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...
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attractiveness <strong>of</strong> the product. One commentator <strong>in</strong> the expert survey declared that<br />
Maldivian cuis<strong>in</strong>e has great potential to be exploited as an attraction for tourists:<br />
Our food suits the tropical climate and exotic culture <strong>of</strong> <strong>Maldives</strong>. Our<br />
food tells the passage <strong>of</strong> our history <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>of</strong><br />
Portuguese, Indian subcont<strong>in</strong>ent and Africans who came and settled <strong>in</strong><br />
the <strong>Maldives</strong>. Our food relates to Islam and the Islamic-Arab culture<br />
and foods. <strong>The</strong>refore, those factors that differentiate <strong>Maldives</strong> are<br />
<strong>in</strong>tertw<strong>in</strong>ed with local food. We need to further look <strong>in</strong>to these<br />
connections and celebrate them by provid<strong>in</strong>g local food products, with<br />
the knowledge <strong>of</strong> its historical, social and natural context that derive<br />
these food products.<br />
<strong>Maldives</strong> participates <strong>in</strong> a number <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational tourism fairs every year. Examples<br />
<strong>in</strong>clude ITB Berl<strong>in</strong> fair held <strong>in</strong> Germany, JATA World Travel fair held <strong>in</strong> Japan, and<br />
BIT fair held <strong>in</strong> Italy. It was po<strong>in</strong>ted out by two policy makers that the success <strong>of</strong><br />
promotional events held at some <strong>of</strong> these fairs with local food as an attraction has<br />
proven that local food has immense potential to be l<strong>in</strong>ked to tourism.<br />
While local food alone may not work as a means to attract tourists to <strong>Maldives</strong>, it can at<br />
the very least be used to supplement and enhance the <strong>Maldives</strong> visitor experience. A<br />
local academic whose work focuses on the tourism <strong>in</strong>dustry stated:<br />
<strong>Local</strong> cuis<strong>in</strong>e <strong>in</strong> any dest<strong>in</strong>ation has great potential to be exploited as<br />
an attraction for their guests. Countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia,<br />
Thailand and India have used this asset <strong>in</strong> tourism development.<br />
Similarly, <strong>Maldives</strong> could use local cuis<strong>in</strong>e as well.<br />
Of the six respondents <strong>in</strong> the expert survey, five experts strongly believed l<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g local<br />
food with tourism could enhance the differentiation <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Maldives</strong> from other<br />
compet<strong>in</strong>g tourism dest<strong>in</strong>ations. It was stated that local food <strong>of</strong>fers the potential for<br />
<strong>Maldives</strong> to be promoted for more than just its environmental features. Literature<br />
related to food and tourism supports the argument that regional cuis<strong>in</strong>e has the potential<br />
to differentiate tourist dest<strong>in</strong>ations <strong>in</strong> the global market (Hall & Mitchell, 2002b), and<br />
that it is an important tourist attraction that enhances value <strong>of</strong> dest<strong>in</strong>ations (Handszuh,<br />
2000).<br />
<strong>The</strong> general op<strong>in</strong>ion among all the respondents <strong>of</strong> the expert survey is that local food<br />
has the potential to enhance the ‘<strong>Maldives</strong> experience’. As po<strong>in</strong>ted out by an <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />
expert, local food represents a “vital component” <strong>of</strong> the product mix that so far “we<br />
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