Volume 48, June 2015, Pages 455–466
Highlights
- •
- Russian tourists value freshness and healthiness associated with local food.
- •
- The concept of local food is perceived differently in Finland and in Russia.
- •
- In the destination local food represented a source of experimentation and local culture.
- •
- Local food products are poorly recognized by Russian tourists.
- •
- The promotion of locality for Russian tourists has much potential in the South Savo region.
Abstract
Russians
currently form the largest foreign tourist group visiting Finland.
Market studies show that most of the money spent by Russian tourists
during their visits is allocated towards food. However, their
perceptions of food and food-related preferences during their visits
have not been studied in detail. This study focuses on understanding the
perceptions, experiences and awareness of Russian tourists concerning
local food in the South Savo region. It applies both qualitative and
quantitative methods to reach a more in-depth understanding of Russian
tourists' relations to local food. The results show that Russian
tourists especially value the freshness and healthiness associated with
local food. Nevertheless, the motivators to use local food products
appear to be different when it comes to food products in Finland or in
Russia. In addition, local food products are poorly recognised, and
tourists are not familiar with local South Savo food. Consequently, the
study reveals potential factors that could increase the Russian
tourists' usage of local food products or food services while visiting
the region and potentially other tourist destinations.
Keywords
- Tourism;
- Local food;
- Perceptions;
- Russian tourists
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.