The Structural Dimensions of the Night Street Food Tourism Experience: A Grounded Theory Study
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Abstract
This research aimed 1) study the meaning and origin of the night street food tourism experience, 2) study the dimensions of the night street food tourism experience, and 3) develop a measurement scale for the components of the night street food tourism experience. The study employed a Mixed Methods Approach. For the qualitative phase, the research utilized Grounded Theory to study the social phenomenon and derive theoretical conclusions from the perspectives and views of Thai tourists who had experienced night street food consumption in Bangkok. A total of 20 informants were purposively selected from four popular night markets in Bangkok, and data were collected through in-depth interviews. For the quantitative phase, the Delphi Technique was employed with the same group of key informants to confirm the suitability and validity of the developed measurement scale, analyzing the Median (Mdn) and Interquartile Range (IQR).
The research results established the definition of the night street food tourism experience and discovered a structural framework comprising eight main dimensions and 24 sub-components. These dimensions included 1) Taste Experience, 2) Appearance Experience, 3) Scent Experience, 4) Hygiene Experience, 5) Novelty Experience, 6) Variety Experience, 7) Service Experience, and 8) Atmosphere Experience. The Delphi Technique analysis confirmed that all 24 variables possessed high suitability, with the Median (Mdn) ranging between 4 – 5 (indicating a level of suitability from high to highest), and the Interquartile Range (IQR) being ≤ 1.5, which demonstrated a high consensus among the key informants.
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