Ready for the «Check-In» of Local Products on Hotel Menus?

Abstract

The link between tourism and the agricultural sector offers, on the one hand, authentic cultural experiences to tourists and, on the other hand, a competitive advantage to tourism businesses seeking to differentiate themselves. This research attempts to empirically investigate the organizational readiness, perceived benefits, and intention of hotels to include local agri-food products in their menus. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and the readiness was evaluated in terms of its three dimensions (organizational culture, organizational climate, and organizational capacity), as well as the perceived benefits in one hundred and twelve hotels of the Regional Unit of Kavala and Thassos in Greece. Following a cluster analysis, three categories of hotels emerged, namely, “Committed”, “Hesitant”, and “Indifferent”. This article uses elements of organizational theory in the hotel industry for the inclusion of local agri-food products in hotel menus, complementing the existing limited literature. The research also has important managerial implications and can be used for policymaking by stakeholders.