Food as tourist merchandise

Tourists like to shop. There is a great deal of data on tourist expenditures on hotels, transportation and other activities dedicated to serving tourists. But information is surprisingly scarce on how much tourists spend at retail outlets, much less what products they buy and their motivations for purchase. There is evidence that where attractive shopping opportunities exist, tourist purchases can be considerable. A study in Wisconsin found that "shopping" accounted for 31 percent of total tourism expenditures, more than expenditures on transportation and overnight accommodation (Davidson-Peterson Associates)...