Are ethnic restaurants a solution to dine out for the young local population?

• Author: Baltescu C.A., Boscor D.
• Pages: 113-118

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series V: Economic Sciences • Vol. 9 (58) No. 2 - 2016

Are ethnic restaurants a solution to dine out for the

young local population?

Codruţa Adina BLTESCU1, Dana BOŞCOR2

Abstract: Ethnic restaurants are a component of a tourist destination offer. Through their

profile, the menus, ambiance and environment, ethnic restaurants are targeting mainly the

visitors. This article analyses to what extent these restaurants can attract local population,

and especially, young population. In this respect it was conducted a quantitative marketing

research among students of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Business Administration

from Brasov. The conclusions obtained highlight which are the attraction elements and

features which determine young people to eat in an ethnic restaurant, in their place of

residence or at a holiday destination.

Key-words: ethnic tourism, ethnic restaurants, young local population, authenticity

1. Introduction

The first use of the term, ‘‘ethnic tourism’’, is attributed to Smith, who defined it as

tourism ‘‘marketed to the public in terms of the ‘quaint’ customs of indigenous and

often exotic peoples’’ (Smith, 1977 cited in Yang, 2010, p. 562). Today, ethnic

tourism generally refers to tourism motivated by a tourist’s search for exotic cultural

experiences: visiting ethnic villages, ethnic theme parks, being involved in ethnic

events and festivals, watching traditional dances or ceremonies, or merely shopping

for ethnic handicrafts and souvenirs (Yang, Wall, and Smith, 2008 cited in Yang,

2010) and has been promoted and widely adopted as a strategy for regional

socioeconomic development (McIntosh and Johnson, 2005).

Food is considered a cultural symbol and among numerous cultural factors

representing national identity, food is a significant element (Edles, 2004 cited in

Jang, Ha and Park, 2012, p.990). Ethnic food market is one of the fastest growing

industries globally (Ha and Jang, 2010; Jang, Ha, & Silkes, 2009). Ethnic restaurants

are distinct from general restaurants. All the managerial aspects are based on their

own culture and, generally, appeal to visitors. There are some specific factors

customers considered when they dined out at an ethnic restaurant: food, service,

1 Transilvania University of Braşov, codruta.baltescu@unitbv.ro

2 Transilvania University of Braov, dana.boscor@unitbv.ro