Ocean and coastal tourism: National or regional culture on culinary selection of inbound tourists

The current study endeavors to address a conspicuous lacuna in the extant literature pertaining to ocean and coastal tourism by examining the nuanced intersection of national/regional culture and the culinary preferences of inbound tourists. Despite the heightened attention devoted to issues such as ocean warming, marine pollution, overfishing, and habitat destruction within both industry and academia, the influence of cultural dimensions on gastronomic choices remains a relatively unexplored domain. Motivated by this research gap, our study employs multiple dimensions of Hofstede's cultural framework, specifically Individualism Versus Collectivism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), and Long-Versus Short-Term Orientation (LTO), to scrutinize the intricate association between national/regional culture and the culinary selections of inbound tourists at an ocean and coastal destination, exemplified by Osaka, Japan. An empirical analysis encompassing a diverse sample of over 4000 random inbound tourists from approximately 50 different countries/regions traversing Osaka was conducted through a meticulously administered questionnaire. The empirical findings reveal that both IDV and LTO exert positive impacts on the extent of culinary selection made by inbound tourists during their ocean and coastal tourism experiences. Furthermore, a discernible pattern emerges indicating that tourists hailing from home countries/regions characterized by lower scores in the UAI dimension exhibit a proclivity for adventurous culinary choices, engaging with less conventional cuisines at the ocean destination. In contrast, tourists originating from higher-UAI countries/regions demonstrate a predilection for a broader spectrum of highly popular cuisines during their ocean and coastal tourism sojourn. In addition, we found potential disparities in culinary consumption behavior between first-time travelers and repeat visitors to the ocean destination. The empirical evidence generated from this research is poised to furnish valuable insights that can inform both theoretical discourse and practical strategies for the effective management of ocean and coastal destinations, thereby contributing to the burgeoning field of sustainable tourism management.