Research Article | Open Access
The Success Factors Affecting Street Food Stalls for Gastronomic Tourism Competitiveness: A Case of Petaling Jaya Old Town
Rachel Yong Yuen May Khursiah Abd Aziz Rohaizah Abd Latif Muhammad Safuan Abdul Latip Tan Chee Kwan Mohamad Arif Abdul Kadir
Pages: 241-256
Abstract
Recently, worldwide demand for food provided on streets is growing swiftly. Realizing
the need to recognize the mindset and market tastes of consumers towards street food
stalls as street food is now strongly associated with tourism and is considered a
significant motivator for travelers to visit the destination. The local cuisine served by
these food stalls provides a direct and sincere connection by experiencing local history,
society, and people through food and beverages. This research project, therefore,
explore street food stall vendors for their success variables in a small town called
Petaling Jaya Old Town of Selangor as a case study zone. This location is selected as
street food stalls are numerous and can be of generational origin. Notwithstanding its
varied culinary offerings, this area was not fully known as a renowned gastronomic
destination in Malaysia.
By adopting the aforementioned case study approach, there were a total of five indepth interviews with street food stall owners regarding trader profile and marketing
strategies, and a sample of 100 street food consumers participated in a structured
questionnaire where they were asked about their attitude and food preference to street
food stalls. The key results indicated that the drivers investigated in this research
project directed to the success factors of street food stalls in terms of gastronomic
tourism while examining data that aimed to function as a guideline for food vendors
and policymakers alike, seeking a better understanding of customers ' food
preferences and behaviors outside consumer numbers. Focusing on the
competitiveness of a tourist destination in Petaling Jaya Old Town should therefore
also be recognized as a method rather than a complete condition, as it requires time
and resource effort, and analysis on ways of effectively managing the street food
market in the upcoming requirements with more thought.
Keywords
Street Food, Gastronomic Tourism, Trader’s Profile, Consumer Preference, Marketing Strategies.