Effect Of Traditional Cuisine Promotion On Hotel Patronage In Four-Star Hotels In Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract

The current trend of experiential tourism has made gastronomy an important variable in determining customer satisfaction and behavioural intention in the hospitality industry. In this study, the contribution of traditional cuisine promotion on hotel patronage was examined in selected four star hotels in Ibadan, Nigeria and the interest in this study is on the level of promotion, its effect on customer's satisfaction and its implication to customer's loyalty and repeat patronage. A quantitative approach to research by using descriptive survey design approach was adopted.  Findings revealed that the traditional cuisine is moderately promoted in four stars hotels. A group majority of mostly the respondents concurred that traditional dishes are on hotel menus (77.3 per cent) and frequently local ingredients are used (77.3 per cent) - while 70.7 per cent agreed that hotels actively advertise indigenous meals through the inclusion and presentation practices on their menus. However, results showed there were weak efforts to preserve the culture as 34.7% of the respondents disagreed that hotels were doing a good job of promoting awareness about local food heritage and 38.7% of the respondents did not agree that food presentation was adequate and representative of cultural values. Despite these limitations, an overwhelming proportion of respondents (86.6 per cent) agreed that indigenous cuisine contributes to the cultural identity which underpins its inherent cultural importance independent from the promotional strategies by hotels.  Furthermore, the promotion of traditional cuisine manifested strong positive associations with the outcomes of patronage. About 81.3% of the respondents agreed that traditional cuisine draws tourists, 81.3% said that cultural foods improve the satisfaction of tourists and 81.4% mentioned a higher chance of them to revisit a restaurant when indigenous dishes are served. In addition, 81.4 per cent perceived that traditional cuisine improves the destination image of Ibadan.  The study concludes that although the promotion of traditional cuisine has a positive effect on customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and hotel patronage, the four star hotels did not fully exploit the potential of traditional cuisine as a vehicle for cultural preservation and hotel marketing. Accordingly, the study recommends the stronger positioning of indigenous cuisine in hotel branding, cultural story enrichment and setting up collaborative culinary tourism initiatives to improve patronage and cultural sustainability.