Tourism development has principally focused on the tangible tourism products thereby overlooking the intangible element such as service. This study aimed to evaluate food service attributes in gastro-tourism development in the Western Tourist Circuit, Kenya. A total of 166 top and middle level managers were selected from 62 hotels for this study using multi-stage sampling method. Several food service attributes were identified and used to structure self-administered questionnaires. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Factor, regression and importance-performance analysis. The findings indicate that perceived importance-performance of food service attributes in gastro-tourism development varied considerably. Three factors identified were food service output, food service input both perceived to be important with good performance; and food service process perceived important but hoteliers’ performance on the same was poor. The findings provide intuitively appealing strategies for hoteliers and tourism promoters in Western Tourist Circuit, Kenya to set priorities for developing gastro-tourism through food service attributes.
AlmanzaBAJaffeWLinL (1994) Use of the service attribute matrix to measure consumer satisfaction. Hospitality Research Journal17(2): 63–75.
2.
AndersonTDMossbergL (2004) The dining experience: do restaurants satisfy customer needs?Food Service Technology4(4): 171–177.
3.
AndersonEWMittalV (2000) Strengthening the satisfaction-profit chain. Journal of Service Research3(2): 107–20.
4.
Assaf A and Cvelbar LK (2010) The Performance of the Slovenia Hotel Industry: Evaluation Post-privatisation. International Journal of Tourism Research 12(5): 462–471.
5.
BaileyKD (1982) Methods of Social Research, 2nd ed. USA: Free Press.
6.
Cohen E and Avieli N (2004) Food in tourism: Attraction and impediment. Annals of Tourism Research 31(4): 755–778.
7.
ConwayJMHuffcuttAI (2003) A review and evaluation of exploratory factor analysis practices in organizational research. Organizational Research Methods6(2): 147–168.
8.
Costello AB and Osborn JW (2005) Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation 10(7). Available at: www.pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=10&n=7 (accessed 20 July 2011).
9.
Du Rand GE and Heath E (2006) Towards a framework for food tourism as an element of destination marketing. Current Issues in Tourism 9(3): 206–234.
10.
DwyerLForsythPDwyerW (2010) Tourism Economics and Policy, Cheltenham, UK Channel: View Publications.
11.
Eccles G (1995) Marketing, sustainable development and international tourism: Focus on five prominent themes in tourism. Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management 7(7): 20–26.
12.
EvansMRChonKS (1989) Formulating and evaluating tourism policy using importance-performance analysis. Hospitality Education and Research Journal13: 203–213.
13.
Field A (2005) Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd Ed.). London: Sage Publications.
14.
Fyall A and Garrod B (2005) Tourism marketing: A collaborative approach. Clevedon: Channel View Publications.
15.
GillespieC (2002) European Gastronomy into the 21st Century, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
16.
GoFZhangW (1997) Applying importance-performance analysis to Beijing as an international meeting destination. Journal of Travel Research35(4): 42–49.
17.
Gountas SC and Gountas JY (2003) The influence of consumers' emotion on their service product evaluation. Tourism Analysis 8(2–4): 125–128.
18.
HaneforsMMossbergL (2003) Searching for the extraordinary meal experience. Journal of Business and Management9(3): 249–270.
19.
HendersonJC (2009) Food tourism reviewed. British Food Journal111(4): 317–326.
20.
HershbergerSL(2005) Factor scores. In: EverittBSHowellDC (eds) Encyclopedia of Statistics in Behavioral Science, New York: John Wiley, pp. 636–644.
21.
Hjalager AM and Richards G (eds) (2002) Tourism and gastronomy. London: Rutledge.
22.
HollenhorstSOlsonDFortneyR (1986) Use of importance-performance analysis to evaluate state park cabins: the case of the West Virginia state park system. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration10(1): 1–11.
23.
HsuCHCByunSYangIS (1997) Attitudes of Korean college students towards quick-service, family-style, and cuisine dining restaurants. Journal of Restaurant and Foodservice Marketing2(4): 65–85.
24.
HuM-LMChenT-KOuT-L (2009) An importance–performance model of restaurant dining experience. Advances in Hospitality and Leisure5: 207–222.
25.
KeytJCYavasURieckenG (1994) Importance-performance analysis: a case study in restaurant positioning. International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management22(5): 35–40.
26.
LewisRC (1985) Getting the most from marketing research [part V]. Predicting hotel choice: the factors underlying perception. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly26(3): 82–96.
27.
LewisRCChambersRE (1989) Marketing Leadership in Hospitality, New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
28.
MartillaJAJamesJC (1977) Importance-performance analysis. Journal of Marketing41(1): 77–79.
29.
MartinDW (1995) An importance-performance analysis of service providers’ perception of quality service in the hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality and Leisure Marketing3(1): 5–17.
30.
MatzlerKSauerweinEHeischmidtKA (2003) Importance-performance analysis revisited: the role of the factor structure satisfaction. The Service Industries Journal23(2): 112–129.
31.
Meler M and Cerovic Z (2003) Food marketing in the function of tourist product development: Food marketing and tourism. British Food Journal 105(3): 175–192.
32.
MilmanA (2009) Evaluating the guest experience at theme parks: an empirical investigation of key attributes. International Journal of Tourism Research11: 373–387.
33.
MittalVKatrichisJMKumarP (2001) Attributes performance and customer satisfaction over time: evidence from two field studies. Journal of Service Marketing15(5): 343–356.
34.
Pike S and Ryan C (2003) Dimensions of short break destination attractiveness – a comparison of cognitive, affective and conative perceptions. In: CAUTHE (Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education) Annual Conference, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, February 2003.
35.
SampsonSEShowalterMJ (1999) The performance-importance response function: observations and implications. The Service Industries Journal19(3): 1–25.
YukselAYukselF (2002) Measurement of tourist satisfaction with restaurant services: a segment-based approach. Journal of Vacation Marketing9(1): 52–68.
