International Hospitality Management
A Critical Evaluation of Gastronomy, Food and Drink Tourism of Contemporary Hospitality Management
Abstract
Hotels and restaurants are the most popular institution in the hospitality management which involves the elements of culture, heritage, culinary expertise of the locals, and high-quality products. Through focusing on the area of gastronomy, food, and drink, a critical evaluation is made.
Under the International Hospitality Management and the contemporary issues associated with it, the study formulated a discussion that investigate the literature gaps, interpretation, and understand the different matter within the criteria of hospitality management. This study is done through demonstrating the use of the academic contexts, investigative journals, business reviews, other case studies, news, magazines, and other valuable sources related to the International Hospitality Management that can satisfy the needs of the study.
“When they had finished their work and prepared the meal, they set to eating, and no man’s desire went without an equal share in the feast”. –Homer (The Iliad)
1.0 Introduction
The impact of tourism in different parts of the world is widely known not only because on the effects the industry towards one nation’s economy, but also in the idea of continuous revolution and modernity. For over the years, many researchers dedicated their time and effort to formulate a study to understand and predict the future of the tourism industry. They suggested various strategies and methods with the respect to the industry bearing an aim to increase the rate of success of the hospitality business. Hotels and restaurants are the most popular institution in the hospitality management which involves the elements of culture, heritage, culinary expertise of the locals, and high-quality products. The hospitality business is open to different changes and challenges most likely offered by the globalization.
Within the study, the management of hospitality business is being criticized by focusing on the gastronomy, food, and drink. The three elements within the hospitality businesses are recognized to be a factor towards success and failure of the business. There is no doubt that these elements can attract the visitors or tourists to visit a certain place and have the possibility to increase the rate of return of the visitors. However, it is such a great challenge for the hospitality businesses to follow the globalization and the continuous change of demands. The common problem that most of the business is to find a new and exciting way to offer for the people without creating risk in the costs and labor.
Food and drink may come together. Both are essential in the body which can serve as the fuel to produce energy and keep the body strong. However, the food and drink being offered in the hotels and restaurants is completely different among the fast food chains and households. Part of the practice that the businesses should continue is the idea of food safety techniques that can add value to increase the volume of the consumers. The idea of food safety techniques is widely accepted in the international hospitality management to ensure both safeness and competency between the businesses.
2.0 Literature Review
The idea of “hospitality” is originated in the custom and tradition of the early people to welcome a visitor with warmth, kindness, and friendliness. As an observation from the works of early writers, the idea of hospitality is introduced. According to Ovid and his story of Baucis and Philemon, even the couple old and poor, they still welcome the strangers and offer them the best that they can get. This kind of hospitality is also expressed in the early Arabia in which written by an unknown author of Arabian Nights or the One Thousand and One Nights. The strangers and the suppliant are treated with kindness. The custom is not only offering food and lodging but also clothes. And whenever the stranger needs to sail or travel, the host is the one who is the provider. Nowadays, the objective of the hospitality remains, however, in exchange of money. In this way, the hospitality became a business and grew as an industry.
2.1 The Food Tourism
The food tourism is a juxtaposition of ideas, history, and taste packed in a single offer. Based on the study in the hospitality industry in Singapore, it is identified that the history plays a critical role to create a successful articulation of the hotel’s brand. The growth of the food tourism as traced in the Singapore’s hospitality industry is based on the “evolution of the hotel into a well-loved cultural icon of a new nation state, its colonial roots notwithstanding”. The marketing and differentiation of the products is also part of the growth in the food tourism. Because of this idea, the previous study concluded that the same evolution in food tourism is present in the successful business model for Raffles Hotel. In case on the idea of the strategies and development in the hospitality, the ideal hotel facility is the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts and their business model (Geok, 2007). Aside from tracing the history, the business articulated the thoughts and feelings that can create an impact in the individual’s emotions and moods. Hence, the food and drink being offered is accompanied with the designs included in the settings. In this case, the ambience can be the most appropriate element in which contributes towards the success in hospitality businesses.
2.2 Food to Culture to National Identity
The connection of food towards the culture and reflects in the national identity had been determined by the contemporary researchers. Many concluded that the food can be an essential factor to demonstrate the cultural influences in between nations. In observing the various cultures particularly within Asian countries, there are interesting facts that can be unveiled. In the Philippines, the connection of food and culture is deeply rooted in the characteristics of the society. The social system is under the continuous evolution such as the changes in industrialization and urbanization. Therefore, the social ways like clothing, housing, or transportation is affected by the evolution. An argument emerges that the there is also a strong affinity in learning modern food ways and acquired tastes from the other countries, while conserving their food culture. In addition, the food habits and the traditional way of cooking play an important role in the national identity (Kleinfelder, 2004).
In Taiwan, the culinary tourism is transformed from national cuisines. For this country, the political and economic transformation influenced the culinary tourism. As part of the national identity, the dietary culture is recognized which creates an impact on the traditional cuisines. Due to the practice of culinary tourism or food tourism, the trend for ethnic food and cuisine has been restored. The national identity of the country is also significant to the previous colonial experience and the globalization which gradually changed the Taiwanese foods (Chuang, 2009).
On the other hand, in the event of migration and the relationship of the countries Japan and Korea, the staples and food habit may found to be similar. Both countries understand the national identities of the people which make them “embrace the values of respecting differences”. As a result, the relationship of the countries is enriched. In the matter of food and delicacies, there is a continuous promotion towards the deeper understanding of the differences especially on children even though; there is a slight impression on the gastronomy and taste (Kim, 2002).
Through the use of bountiful research studies, food is therefore part of the basic needs of humans. Food is also identified to be part of the human survival (Klienfelder, 2004). During the time when an individual is hungry, his senses became slow and cannot function well. The nutrition that can be gained from eating is essential not only to keep the body moving but also to help the economy. This idea can be elaborated in many of the hotels and restaurants.
3.0 Methodology
The method used in the study that piloted the creation of the thorough discussion is through the use of the comparative case studies. The studies in hospitality industry in Singapore and other countries are being compared in order to gain the insights regarding the food tourism. The previous studies dedicated to the international hospitality management are critically assessed until the literature gaps are finally identified. By comparing the differences and findings of the studies, the study can generalized the essential facts through the use of discussion. The comparative case study is a great opportunity for the present study to determine the ideas like theories, the evolution, the effects of food in tourism and many others. In addition, the main focus of the case studies is to compare the hospitality business within the Singapore tourism sector, most especially when it comes in gastronomy, food, and beverages.
The comparisons of the business is not limited to one another which means that hospitality business can be assessed based on the strategy applied, such as marketing and quality control management. In the relation of the hospitality industry in Singapore, part of the method is to understand the competitiveness of the Singaporean hospitality industry against the other industries like in France which is known in their parfaits as an exquisite desert, Japan and their sushi and tempura, Korea and their kimchi, and many others. Overall, the proposed method which is the comparative case study lies in the boundaries of reality and theories in which the evidences are through the investigation and testing the hypotheses.
3.1 Hypothesis
There are hypotheses made in the study to state the fact according to the data collected. Each hypothesis is opted based aim of the study to understand the food industry, and related the food tourism towards the nation’s identity as well as economy. These hypotheses are only suggestions and can be taken as a guideline or queries of the study:
H1: The food tourism changes through the influence of time.
H2: The food tourism changes through the influence of other culture.
H3: The food tourism changes through the influence the host’s culture to their customers.
H4: The food tourism changes through the influence of the nation’s economy (e.g. employment, financial crisis, etc.)
4.0 Discussion
H1: The food tourism changes through the influence of time.
From the early days, the people are saddled in their journeys to gain food. They hunt, they fish, and they pluck foods and vegetables and sometimes got poisoned because of lack of knowledge about the food and having no knowledge in the ways of cooking. Nowadays, the evolution of men is astounding; from cooking under the fire, the people learned the effective ways in using the electricity. Many inventions are introduced for the past years that promise to deliver both efficiencies and effectiveness. Through the change of time, the food industry also changes and can be discussed through the evaluation of the theories within the food tourism.
4.1 Systems Theory
Under the system theory, the food and drinks can be determined as the open cultural system. Within the system are the constituted two main parts – the culinary system around the kitchen, and the system of human action like communication. Because humans are influenced by the skills, norms, values, tastes, and table manners or food practices, there is a great possibility that the hospitality management of the country can be competitive in the international settings (Kleinfelder, 2004). As approach, the combination of ideas from various disciplines which are all focuses on the individuals or groups together with their environment. The collaboration of the disciplines gave birth to improve the work of an individual. The continuous practice of the system may also improve the situation in one particular area (Godlaski, 2008). For example, the hospitality industry is standardizing their methods in food storage, preparation, and service which are effective in committing the food quality.
4.2 Theories of Globalization
Part of the overall theories in globalization, the position of the culture and its impact in the individual lives is also affected. As an evidence, world cuisines or food tourism can be describe by the patterns of consumptions in some of the fast-food chains like McDonalds and their business model of McDonaldization (Ritzer, 1995). The world-wide domination of McDonalds across the globe is very obvious that tends to highlight the autonomy and capturing the different dimensions of cultural globalization. In accordance, the influence of McDonalds spread in the social and cultural processing, discovering that there is a human creativity in terms of human relations that is characterized by the Western culture (Ritzer, 1995; Robinson, 2007). The cultural theories in globalization also mean universalism that is now the representation of the new global age wherein there is a “diffusion of practices, values and technology due to spatio–temporal compression of the world, resulting in the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole” (Shenoy, 2005).
H2: The food tourism changes through the influence of other culture.
The success or failure of the food tourism is affected by the introduction of other culture. It is already said that the food part of the nation’s identity. Now, in terms of food, the culture can be also described to be different. Focusing in Asian foods, the people are described as rice eaters while in other countries like in US the source of grains and carbohydrates are the breads. With that simple illustration, we can say that nations and their culture are different because of the food and the food habits.
4.3 Theories of Social Differentiation
The theory of social differentiation explains the differences in consumption across groups in terms of tastes, pleasures, and desires. Therefore, the competition of the hospitality businesses in one particular area in noticeable and can be relate towards the cultural capital theory. Because of the cultural knowledge, competence and disposition, the other culture identified the traits and other cultural practices (Shenoy, 2005). The influence from other cultures resulted in the collaboration and their effect is viewed through the idea of adaptation (Godlaski, 2008).
4.4 Gastronomy
The culinary innovations are based on the evolutions and influence that the host country received from the other nations. Furthermore, because of the media and their influence, there is a great chance that the chefs move towards the culinary practice and start to develop the trends (Cousins, O’Gorman, & Stierand, 2011). Creolization has become common in the cuisines that can be seen among the colonized countries in which the idea of globalization plays an important role (Hjalager & Richards, 2002). Apparently, most of the hospital leaders that stick with the common cooking reject the idea of mix culture towards the food and drink. Probably because of the fact that the customers are not used in the new type of dish and the tastes and preferences are different.
H3: The food tourism changes through the influence the host’s culture to their customers.
4.5 Culture Tourism
This kind of influence can be viewed in the practice of the host country like food festivals and cultures. To emphasize the national identity of the country or by the business, they tend to create the trend. This idea is successfully illustrated by the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts and their “Designing Romance” (Geaok, 2007). Because of the differences in between nations, the cultural tourism seems to be an effective strategy to introduce the nation’s culture to the other. Therefore the cultural tourism is more about introducing the natural assets like sites and monuments and focused on the visitor’s motivations and perceptions. During the celebration or festivals, various tourist attractions are created in which can affect the perception of the visitors especially when the food is accompanied with music and dance delighting the every spectators with the cultural heritage and their values (Uger, Gurer, and Sat, 2006).
H4: The food tourism changes through the influence of the nation’s economy
4.6 The Service Concept
The hospitality industry is composed service operation that can help the business to gain effectiveness in the industry and profits. Therefore, the need of the effective people that can be trained under the hospitality industry is important to accommodate all the needs and wants of the customers. The service operation in today’s economy of hospitality is focused on the service concept that will bring the excitement and appropriate management of a hospitality business. Through the use of solid foundation of the service is the backbone of the growing industry. The food tourism and the operations accompanied with it can provide the variety of employment opportunities which can also help build the competencies among its people to establish their own goal in business venture (Whitelegg, 2002). The food and drink usually comes together. The introduction of wine during the medieval times is still seen especially on the high-class restaurants. However, there are limitations pertaining to the drinks especially in alcoholic drinks like the warning and importation duties applied depending on the level of alcohol. This practice is very evident in the wine and alcohol selling in Malaysia that even the locally produced brands are under the high government taxes.
4.7 The Challenges
The employment and growth in the economy is somehow affected by the opportunities and threats. The Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is examined regarding the growth strategies in Asia which composed of moving the business to leverage on the high tourism potential in the region. The expansion of the other hospitality businesses is somehow assessed to differ on the target market (Geok, 2007). For example, the expansion of an organization is to the area wherein the market share is definitely high. However, the drawback is that there are number of competitors which stiffened the traffic of the market and creates intensity. Most of the times, when an organization chose to stick in the expansion, the more loss can be endure because of the challenges that lies ahead, start from the market entry up to the point of selling.
5.0 Conclusion
Food is measured in between the hunger and satisfaction. In the study of the culinary system within the food tourism, it is identified that there are theories which is important in managing hospitality industry. The importance of food and eating in all cultures is emphasized by the importance of ‘taste’. Having good taste is a matter of being educated or cultivating the ‘right’ habits in eating, drinking, table manners and other areas of life.
Furthermore, within the food tourism, the economy can realize the additional support. The gastronomy or the ways to prepare the food is affected by various influences such as the culture and the leverages in terms of competition and economic crises. The food and drinks are essential to life, not only to help the people live every single day but also to help the employment rise. Therefore, if the hospitality continued to be strong, more jobs can be offered and increase in the rate of return which can positively affect the economy of the host country. However, to be effective in the industry, each business should identify the appropriate strategy in order to promote the continuous growth.
References:
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