The Role of Local Food in Maldives Tourism - Scholarly Commons ...

Cultural exploration is an integral part of tourism experiences. As competition in the
tourism industry increases, culture is increasingly seen as an asset for product
differentiation (Richards, 2002). Tourists seeking authentic cultural experiences find
food as one of the most important attractions (Selwood, 2003). The culture of a society,
according to Sharpley (1999) is “the combination of its values, morals, behavioural
norms, dress, cuisine, artefacts and language” (p. 146). Food is “definitely a medium of
cultural tourism” and the meal is a “cultural artefact” (Scarpato, 2002a, p. 64).
The culinary heritage of a destination embodies the character and mentality of a society
in the types of food and the way they are eaten, and therefore is an integral part of
identity formation (Bessiere, 1998). Consumption of food is also a cultural event that
portrays a social bond by the ways food is eaten (Chiva, 1997 with reference to Poulain,
1996). Local food is a powerful medium for cultural exploration because food reflects
the geography, history, culture and people of a country (Ferguson, 2000) and because it
embody the cultural identity and authenticity of destinations (Hall & Sharples, 2003). It
was agreed by Long (2004) as well that the differences in food and eating habits
determine a society’s culture and religion. Leigh (2000) notes:
Some Catholics still avoid meat on Friday, as an act of contrition, and
so often eat fish on this day. Japanese love raw fish. Chinese eat dogs
and monkeys. Moslems and Jews do not eat pork. Hindus do not eat
beef. French eat frogs, snails, horses and raw meat. Arabs eat camel
meat and drink camel milk. Aborigines eat earth grubs. Greeks drink
sheep’s milk. Some African tribes drink blood. Yanamamo Indians of
South America eat fresh uncooked lice and fried insects. Jews fast on
Yom Kippur. Arabs fast throughout the month of Ramadan in the
daytime. Other peoples, like many Hindus, avoid all meat products for
food (p. 10).
As Leigh points out, such differences are the foundations for a robust tourism industry.
Tourist activities related to food consumption provide opportunities for greater
interaction and communication with locals (Poulain, 2000, in Frochot, 2003) and
therefore are an enriching tourist experience. Involvement in local food experiences –
for example, through participating in the preparation and cooking of the food – further
enhances the meaningfulness and symbolism of the experiences (Trossolov, 1995, in
Mitchell & Hall, 2003). Food also represents a symbol of distinctiveness for
destinations (Rusher, 2003) and is strongly associated with place identity (Grottanelli &
Milano, 2004). Hence, the close link between food and place identity makes food an
ideal “place marker” in tourism promotion (Hjalager & Richards, 2002, p. 5).
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