The tourist experience at urban food markets: a qualitative study in Palermo (Sicily)
International Journal of Tourism Cities
ISSN: 2056-5607
Article publication date: 11 May 2023
Issue publication date: 5 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
Food markets have gathered a growing attention by tourism researchers and practitioners in recent years. Many destinations have placed food markets as a tourism attraction which allows visitors to discover a territory through its food. Drawing on the understanding of markets as identity and tourism icons, this paper aims to analyze the role of urban food markets in the different stages of the tourist experience from a visitor perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this, a qualitative design was implemented to interview 18 tourists who visited for the first time the city of Palermo, the capital of the Mediterranean island of Sicily, Italy.
Findings
The results of this study show the factors that drive the motivations, the experiences and the satisfaction of visitors to food markets and provide relevant perspectives into the management and marketing of food tourism in urban environments.
Originality/value
The originality of this paper lies on the understanding of the relationships between visitor experiences and urban food markets.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank the kindness and warmth of the visitors.
Citation
Fusté-Forné, F. (2023), "The tourist experience at urban food markets: a qualitative study in Palermo (Sicily)", International Journal of Tourism Cities, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 447-461. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-09-2022-0212
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, International Tourism Studies Association.