CURRY CUISINE PERCEPTIONS OF INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN MALAYSIA.docVIP

MunichPersonalRePEcArchive CURRY CUISINE: PERCEPTIONS OF INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN MALAYSIA JosiamBharathandSohailSadiqandMonteiroPrema UniversityofNorthTexas,KingFahdUniversityofPetroleum Minerals,UniversityofWisconsin-Stout November2007 Onlineathttp://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/6366/ MPRAPaperNo. 6366,posted19. December200717:57UTC  TOURISMOS: AN INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF TOURISM Volume 2, Number 2, Autumn 2007, pp. 25-37 CURRY CUISINE: PERCEPTIONS OF INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN MALAYSIA Bharath M. Josiam1 University of North Texas Sadiq M. Sohail King Fahd University of Petroleum Minerals Prema A. Monteiro. University of Wisconsin-Stout Malaysia is an Asian country with a multi-ethnic population that includes native Malays, and people of Chinese and Indian ethnicity. Malaysia has identified tourism as a priority sector and is aggressively promoting the country. Consequently, restaurants in Malaysia operate with an increasingly more ethnically diverse customer base. Ethnic restaurants and differential perceptions of customers of varying ethnic backgrounds have not been studied in detail. This study examines the perceptions of South Asians, Caucasians, East Asians, and those of other ethnic origins in their perceptions of Indian restaurants in Malaysia. The findings suggest that there are universal likes/dislikes as well as differential perceptions between ethnic groups. Implications for restaurant operators and researchers are suggested. Keywords: ethnic marketing, Indian restaurants, spicy food, customer perceptions, Malaysia INTRODUCTION Malaysia is an Asian country with a multi-ethnic population. The population includes native Malays, as well as people of Chinese and Indian ethnicity. In addition, the Malaysian government has identified tourism as a high priority growth sector and is aggressively promoting Malay