TOURISTS’ PERCEPTION ON DESTINATION QUALITY: AN ANALYSIS USING IMPORTANCE-PERFORMANCE GRID IN KERALA

Culinary tourism plays an important role in promoting local culture, boosting the economy, and enhancing the travel experiences of tourists. As food becomes a key reason for travel, culinary tourism helps destinations stand out and attract visitors seeking authentic and memorable experiences. Destination quality consists of number of attributes, including cleanliness, safety, infrastructure, hospitality, and attractions, which plays an important role in shaping tourist experience, their decision to revisit the destination, and satisfaction. The present study analyses the perception of tourists on 27 attributes of culinary destination based on the theory of Smith and Costello (2008). The analysis is based on the Importance-Performance Analysis following Martilla and James (1977) theory. The study classified the attributes into four quadrants, particularly focusing on the low performance-high importance quadrant. Nine attributes - cooking methods, knowledgeable staff, safety and hygiene standards, cultural experiences, culinary knowledge, friendly service, event information, nightlife, and cooking showcases – were found to be areas where the destinations need to improve their performance to enhance customer satisfaction. The study contributes to existing literature and proposes theoretical and practical approaches for practitioners and policy makers for enriching tourist experience.