Street foods: contemporary preference of tourists and its role as a destination attraction in India

Purpose The study aims to assess and find out the preference of street-foods amongst the foreign tourists visiting India. It will also discuss in detail the important factors that lead to the selection of street-foods outlining the relevance of food as a destination attraction. Design/methodology/approach The study applied the use of location intercept technique through one to one interview using a structured survey scale to take the responses from 586 outbound foreign tourists at the departure gates of International Airport at New Delhi. The street-food preference of foreign tourists was analysed using the analytical hierarchical process model and Chi-square statistics. Findings This study resulted in identification of 18 street-foods which were preferred mostly by the foreign tourist in India, with Tandoori Chicken tikka being the most favoured and Kathi Kebab being least preferred. This study also confirmed that amongst the all factors which were considered to have an influence on the street-food preference of foreign tourists only marital status was found to be insignificant. Practical implications This study suggested that street-food vending can be considered to be a strategic management instrument that can (re)create a destination image and sustain or rejuvenate tourist movements towards a gastronomically rich destination like India. It might help the shareholders in the street-food vending businesses across India to devise strategies to showcase India on a global gastronomic platform. Originality/value It is the first study which has tried to exploit the foreign tourists’ emotions through their street-food preference which can be used by the local street vendors to attract, reconnect and increase their repeat visits in India. It will also help sensitising the local street-food vendors including restaurants, catering joints and hotels to include the preferred delicacies in their operational menus for maximising the earnings from tourists.