Maslow's hierarchy and food tourism in Finland: five cases

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the sectors of food tourism in Finland by using Maslow's hierarchy of needs in the classification. Design/methodology/approach Previous research on food tourism concentrates on the role of food as an attraction, as a cultural phenomenon, and as an experience. Moreover, food from productional and motivational viewpoints is reviewed briefly. The empirical data consists both of the secondary data and an interview. Findings The findings introduce five sectors of food tourism where the needs and motivations are linked with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Practical implications The practical implications are that the food tourism promoters could emphasize the needs and motivations when marketing food tourism services. Originality/value Sectors of food tourism in Finland classified by the hierarchy of needs are presented, providing practical implications for food tourism promoters and thus offering motivations for food tourism.