Enhancing Tourism SMEs
Development through Food
Tourism in the Czech Regions
doc. Ing. Alžbeta Kiráľová, Ph.D.
Ing. Iveta Hamarneh, Ph.D.
XIX. MEZINÁRODNÍ KOLOKVIUM O REGIONÁLNÍCH VĚDÁCH
15.–17. června 2016
Hotel Zámek, Čejkovice
This paper is based on research project "The Influence of
Food Tourism on the Development of Small and Mediumsized
Enterprises in the Czech Republic", which is supported
by the University College of Business in Prague (FRV
1/2015)
Agenda
» Introduction
» The Aim of the Research & Methodology
» Results and Discussion
» Conclusion
Introduction1
» The place of food and drinks in tourism is important as they can
display the tradition and culture of the destinations as well as the
lifestyle of the destinations´ residents.
» Recent research has indicated that travelers spend around 40% of
their holiday budget on food (Boyne, Hall & Williams, 2003).
» In OECD countries, food and drinks services account for up to 30%
of total internal tourism consumption.
» SMEs dominate the European economy - they account for more than
99 % of all EU firms.
» SMEs constitute the backbone of tourism in the Czech Republic and
make up the majority of the business units in hospitality (41 160).
» 28% of hospitality SMEs are focused on Czech traditional cuisine.
Introduction2
» Food and drinks are a key part of culture and creativity, a
major element of intangible heritage of the destinations.
» Food and drinks are also an important source for
destinations that want to develop quality tourism products
and experiences in order to enhance the growth of their
economy.
» According to the UNWTO Global Report on Food
Tourism, 88.2% of respondents consider that gastronomy
is a strategic element in defining the brand and image of
their destination.
Introduction3
» Local cuisine can add value to the
traditional tourism experience;
especially for those tourists who
wants more and are searching for
new experiences.
» According to UNWTO (2013)
survey food events are the most
imporatant for the destinations
(expressed by 79% of
respondents).
» This is followed by gastronomic
routes and cooking classes and
workshops, with 62% answering
affirmatively, food fairs featuring
local products (59%) and visits to
markets and producers (53%).
Introduction4
» The World Food Travel Association states that food tourists
tent to be couples that have above-average income, are usually
professionals and are aged 30 to 50.
» Food tourists spend on average around $1,200 per trip, with
over one-third (36% or $425) of their travel budget going
towards food-related activities.
» Those considered to be “deliberate” food tourists tend to
spend a significantly higher amount of their overall travel
budget (around 50%) on food-related activities.
Introduction5
» The structure of growth regarding regional distribution in Czech
Republic´s tourism is problematic.
» In the years 2005 - 2014, the number of overnight stays in Prague
increased from 11.2 million to 14.75 million (+3.55 mil.)
» Overall, the number of overnight stays in the Czech Republic during
this period increased from 40.32 million to 42.94 million (+ 2.62
mil.).
» The highest increase of overnight stays was recorded in Prague.
» Based on the results of the research conducted by UNWTO, OECD,
and „food tourism countries“ (delicious destinations: France, Italy,
Spain, Thailand, Japan, and India), and considered the potential and
diversity of the Czech regions it can be presumed that food tourism
can contribute to the development and growth of these regions.
The Aim of the Research
» The overarching aim of the research was to
understand the extent to which regional food
and local drinks may strengthen the business
of SMEs in the tourism sector and provide a
useful tool for contributing to the regional
development of tourism in selected Czech
regions.
Methodology
» The research included face-to-face interviews in a one-to-one
setting with thirty tourism stakeholders, 17 from Prague and
13 from Central Bohemian Region in a period of three months
from December 2015 to February 2016.
» The specific selection criteria for the purposeful sampling as
(1) duration of the restaurant or related business operation
minimum one year, (2) and holding a manager role were
determinate.
» The entire sample was selected by snowball sampling method.
Results and Discussion1
» The most of the interviewees stated that the offer of traditional
Czech food is very successful in the frame of their business.
» The highest success was reported in SMEs in Prague.
» Local drinks are very often integral part of the offer of SMEs.
» One of the most offered local drinks is wine and beer; more
and more popular are herbal teas.
» The results for both selected regions are comparable.
Results and Discussion2
» One-third of interviewees claimed offering degustation menu,
and activities such as tasting drinks, and cooking courses
linked with traditional Czech cuisine (62% world wide
according UNWTO, 2013).
» Higher activity in this connection is recorded in the Central
Bohemian region.
Results and Discussion3
» Almost 80 % of businesses confirmed that the introduction of
regional food and local drinks have an important influence on
their revenue growth.
» More success was reported by SMEs from Central Bohemian
region.
Results and Discussion4
» More than 70 % of interviewees reported increase of their
guests´ traffic based on introduction of regional food and local
drinks.
» Almost 70 % of interviewees stated improvement of their
image after introduction Czech traditional menu.
» 67 % of interviewees said that the average spending of their
guests increased after widening the menu by traditional Czech
food and drinks.
» SMEs from Central Bohemian region reported more success
due to their offer of regional food and local drinks.
Conclusion
» Based on the results of the research, it can be stated that the
introduction and offer of the regional food and local drinks
has a positive impact on tourism SMEs in both examined
regions, while it contributes to the revenue growth, increase
the guests’ traffic, enhance the average spending of the
visitors and strengthen the image of SMEs and the regional
food and drinks as well.
» Considering saying the opportunities for future research is
in expanding the number of interviewees from SMEs to all
Czech regions and widens the interviews to the guests of
SMEs in order to discover the impact of regional food and
drinks on both, the tourism SMEs and the guests.
Thank You for Attention!
kiralova@vso-praha.eu
hamarneh@vso-praha.eu