Government websites for promoting East Asian culinary tourism: A cross-national analysis Jeou-Shyan Horng a, b, * , Chen-Tsang (Simon) Tsai c a Graduate Institute of Hospitality Management & Education, National Taiwan Normal University,162, Sec.1, Hoping E. Rd., Taipei 10610, Taiwan, Republic of China b College of Tourism & Hospitality, Jinwen University of Science & Technology, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China c Division of Hospitality Management & Education, Department of Human Development & Family Studies, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, Hoping E. Rd., Taipei 10610, Taiwan, Republic of China article info Article history: Received 1 June 2008 Accepted 20 January 2009 Keywords: East Asian cuisine Culinary tourism Government tourism websites Internet marketing Content analysis Brand Image Website design Visual texts abstract The content of government tourism websites is very important for promoting a tourist destination’s exciting cuisine and food culture. These websites help to shape a country’s, region’s or locality’s culinary- cultural image; they create a virtual experience for culinary tourists. This study explores the contents of the cuisine and gastronomy websites of Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, analyzing the techniques used to introduce and promote these East Asian tourist destinations’ cuisine and food culture. Specifically, the researchers examined the capacity of government websites to intro- duce and advertise traditional and local foods, restaurants, gastronomic tours, recipes and culinary cultures (including table manners and other dining customs). They also looked more generally at culinary tourism marketing strategies, including the use of restaurant guides and certifications. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Inasmuch as a local culture’s own unique cuisine embodies and expresses its ‘‘character’’ and may eventually become famous as an international brand, food and cuisine play an ever more important role in the differentiation and promotion of specific tourist desti- nations. 1 In other words, as more and more people travel in search of new gastronomic experiences, culinary tourism is an increas- ingly important part of ‘‘destination marketing’’ (Boniface, 2003; Hall & Sharples, 2003; Hjalager & Richards, 2002; Ignatov & Smith, 2006; Okumus, Okumus, & McKercher, 2007). The ever-expanding culinary tourism industry offers both tourist destinations and tourist businesses (industries) the opportunity to create for them- selves a unique competitive advantage (ICTA, 2008) by creating a positive connection between food and particular local and national traits (Okumus et al., 2007). Thus Cohen and Avieli (2004), pointing out that towns, cities and regions as well as entire coun- tries may become famous for their unique cuisines, explore the role of food as an important vehicle for tourism because of its power to define tourist destinations (Long, 2004). The role of the Internet in the promotion of all aspects of international tourism has also expanded rapidly in recent years (Wan, 2002, p.155). Many nations and districts are now designing government-sponsored tourism websites, in the hope that tourists can access information about their potential destinations by browsing them. Although the official tourism websites of some countries need to be improved in terms of information provision, updating, web interfaces, and hyperlinks (Boyne, Hall, & Williams, 2003), the government tourism website has also become a signifi- cant means of advertising the local cultures and cuisines of culinary tourist destinations (du Rand et al., 2003). Therefore, constructing effective government tourism websites is the first step in the marketing of these destinations. With any sort of promotion and marketing on the part of the tourism industry, we have the question as to how much emphasis should be given to a destination’s culinary attractions. While culi- nary tourism has received increasing attention, research reveals differing opinions about the role of promotion and marketing with * Corresponding author. Graduate Institute of Hospitality Management & Education, National Taiwan Normal University, 162, Sec. 1, Hoping E. Rd., Taipei 10610, Taiwan, Republic of China. Tel.: þ886 926 827 723; fax: þ8862 8212 2549. E-mail address: t10004@ntnu.edu.tw (J.-S. Horng). 1 Gastronomy is one of the fundamentals of local culture as well as part of a region’s cultural heritage (Tellstro ¨ m, Gustafasson, & Mossberg, 2006). Food not only expresses or represents a country’s identity; it also helps to enhance the quality and competitiveness of its tourism industry through marketing strategies and brand-building (du Rand, Heath, & Alberts, 2003). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Tourism Management journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tourman 0261-5177/$ – see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.tourman.2009.01.009 Tourism Management 31 (2010) 74–85