Developing programme criteria for a food expo in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The tourism world receives one third of revenue from food events alone, which indicates the importance of food in the tourism package. Even though food and wine expos and festivals are very popular in developed countries it is not effectively marketed in Africa. Destination unique attributes focused around local cuisine are fast becoming the number one motivating factor in choosing a destination. The growth of expos and festivals and their popularity globally by the developed countries warrant in-depth studies of the main programme criteria for a potential expo programme. Tourists have since been motivated to attend such an event at an international scale for developing countries and Zimbabwe is no exception. The study sought to develop programme criteria for a potential food expo for Zimbabwe and was guided by five (5) objectives. The first two objectives were based on literature review whilst the other objectives were empirically based. Regarding the empirical objectives data were collected from both the industry and tourist side by means of a questionnaire. Tourism experts and service providers were the respondents from the supply side while tourists represented the demand side. Data were collected at Sanganai Travel Expo and Victoria Falls from 2016 to 2017 and analysed using SPSS version 24 with Amos for structural equation modelling, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis and t-tests. Descriptive statistics were also used. The Cronbach Alpha values and inter-item mean correlations confirmed the reliability and internal consistency of the data for it to be deemed useable. The first objective explored the nature of internationally acclaimed festivals and expos from various destinations to try and identify their main features, strengths and possible weaknesses. An understanding of global expo programme activities can be a valuable springboard and source of ideas for launching unique expos in other settings such as Zimbabwe. Objective 2 was to determine consumer behaviour for a potential food expo and its programme criteria. The study used extant literature of marketing theory relating and consumer behaviour, at food related events and subsequent programme development in the context of food expos. The consumer decision-making process is utilised to understand how consumers make their final purchase choices. Theories of consumer behaviour and previous research applying these behaviours to models of food festivals and expos globally were used to draw information in the research. It also aimed at finding out the main programme content aspects that would make tourists want to attend a food expo and their applicability to a developing country. The third objective sought to determine the needs and preferences of a potential food expo market (tourist and industry respondents) in order to develop programme criteria for a food expo in Zimbabwe. In objective four the t-test was used to determine the optimisation of food expo criteria most preferred by both stakeholders; it was also used to ascertain the industry respondent's readiness to host a food expo. The fifth objective was to develop a framework for programme criteria for a potential food expo in Zimbabwe. This objective was achieved based on the information collected using the designed questionnaire. This objective sought to determine themes and the specific activities which can be incorporated into the potential food expo programme. A programme criteria for a food expo in Zimbabwe was then formulated. From 13 factors identified in the data analysis, the 5 main themes with high mean values to include in a potential food expo were: traditional Zimbabwean cuisine; interactive food workshops; cocktail exhibition; wine exhibition; and entertainment. Coincidentally, both the industry respondents and tourist respondents concurred on the nature of the themes which should be included in the food expo programme. The least favoured themes were: kids cooking/baking/food activities; cooking/ baking competitions; food art and decorating; open food theatre; other exhibitors; cooking/baking merchandise; cuisine variations; interactive food workshops. The following aspects also emerged related to marketing and pricing/ticketing from the study, the use of internet marketing, use of plastic money, prepaid online ticket payments; tickets sold at entrance; cover charge and tickets bought daily as day pass into the expo as the most preferred forms of marketing. Lastly, all the location sites were deemed important by the stakeholders, meaning it was influential in the decision to attend the potential food expo. Thus findings of the study focused on developing a blueprint criteria expo programme for Zimbabwe. This blueprint provides guidelines on the criteria that should be adopted in designing food expo programmes in a developing country such as Zimbabwe. The objective also drew definitive conclusions and offered varied recommendations and insights for further research. The development of a measuring instrument (questionnaire) and the development of programme criteria for a food expo programme in Zimbabwe are the study's main contributions.