Vol. 16 No. 3(I)S (2024)

The Korean Wave, also known as Hallyu, has significantly impacted global culture, and has affected people around the world. This influence has also become a trend in Malaysia, where Korean cultural products are widely embraced, especially by the younger generation. The authenticity of Korean flavors is essential for maintaining its unique culinary identity while health-conscious markets around the world have led to a surge in demand for Korean food Therefore, this study aims to assess the consumer acceptance of Korean food in Malaysia, particularly in Sungai Petani, Kedah, and Pulau Pinang. The Korean Wave, which represents the global popularity of South Korean culture since the 2000s, has exerted a considerable influence on various cultural aspects, including cuisine. Through a quantitative survey, data were collected from 150 participants in the northern area, specifically targeting Generations Y and Z through convenience sampling. The collected data was then analyzed for descriptive statistics, and the correlation to test the hypotheses. The results indicate a significant positive correlation between consumer acceptance of Korean food, health perspectives, and authentic taste variables. The findings of this study suggest that increased exposure to Korean culture through the Korean Wave boosts consumer acceptance and purchase intentions for Korean food culture in Malaysia. This information is valuable for marketers and restaurateurs seeking to capture the growing demand for Korean cuisine. This study offers a localized perspective on the global phenomenon of Korean cultural influence and provides practical recommendations for future research.

A study on revisit intention has a different meaning in business development. Competitiveness in business activities such as in Malay restaurants needs to use a various method. To gain the functionality of the development, innovation practices and destination image should be aimed for a better understanding of the overall concept. This study aims to design a conceptual understanding of the destination image and innovation practices toward Malay restaurant performance grounded in competitive advantage theory. Furthermore, competitive advantage provides insight into how the connection between business organizations will help the development and sustainability of business performance. In addition, it will bring a more significant contribution to the structure of the organization. This article suggests that a significant measurement of competitiveness could be ascertained from a performance perspective. The article integrates previous studies on the respective measures and proposes a conceptual framework for tourist destination image. Destination image relates to restaurant performance, which can be studied further in the future. It will contribute to the significance of practicality and theoretically as it mentioned the purpose of destination image and competitive advantage towards Malay restaurant performance. However, in terms of Malay restaurant performance, it still needs to be discussed in depth as it has a limited view of the discussion. Determinants of tourism destination image, innovation practices, and restaurant performance are also discussed for future research.

This study examines the impact of food neophobia and food innovation on Malaysian consumer attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, and consumer behaviour intention towards readyto-eat (RTE) foods. Additionally, this study investigates the mediating effects of food innovation, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control on the relationship between food neophobia and consumer behaviour intention. A quantitative cross-sectional study was used whereby an online survey was developed and disseminated via social media platforms to all Malaysian consumers aged 18 years and above from October 2023 to January 2024. A total of 321 valid responses were used for hypothesis testing using SPSS and MPlus software. This study found eleven out of nineteen proposed hypotheses were statistically significant. Food neophobia directly influences food innovation, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behaviour control. More importantly, this study found the significant influence of attitude, subjective norms, and food innovation as mediators in influencing the association between food neophobia and consumer behaviour intention. Findings from this study contribute to the RTE food behavioural studies by incorporating the theory of planned behaviour and stimulus-organism-response models. This study also introduces attitude, subjective norms, and food innovation as mediators in influencing the association between food neophobia and consumer behaviour intention. Results from the integrated model provide a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of food neophobia and food innovation on consumer attitude, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, and behaviour intention. Findings underline the importance of RTE food producers exploring young consumers as the new markets for their products.

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle with communication and social skills, necessitating significant support from family, caregivers, and educators. In Malaysia, while Special Education Needs (SEN) students are typically integrated into general education during their school years, their presence in tertiary education or TVET remains underrepresented. This scoping review aims to identify and understand the challenges general educators and caregivers face in facilitating the transition of ASD students from higher education to tertiary education and TVET. A comprehensive analysis of literature from Scopus, ProQuest, and Science Direct databases, focusing on studies published between 2013 and 2023, was conducted. The findings reveal mixed experiences, highlighting significant difficulties and areas for improvement. General educators and caregivers report numerous challenges, including inadequate training, insufficient resources, and a lack of tailored support systems, which collectively hinder the smooth transition of ASD students into higher educational settings. It suggests that targeted interventions and increased collaboration between educators and caregivers can lead to more positive outcomes. This study provides original insights into the specific needs and barriers faced by ASD students in Malaysia, offering valuable implications for policymakers, educators, and caregivers to create more inclusive and effective educational transitions. Future research on transitioning students with ASD to higher education and TVET should focus on longitudinal studies to track long-term outcomes, the development and evaluation of targeted intervention programs, and the role of assistive technologies in the transition process.

Environmental sustainability and food waste reduction are among the critical challenges facing the hospitality industry worldwide. This study was conducted to identify the impact of environmental knowledge on food waste reduction and sustainability practices among hospitality students in Malaysia. A quantitative approach was used, and we surveyed 94 hospitality students from various programs at UiTM Penang. The online questionnaire was conducted and analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. There is a significant positive correlation between environmental knowledge, food waste behaviors and sustainability-related behaviors. The strongest relationship was found between food waste behaviors and sustainability-related behaviors, suggesting that environmental knowledge and food waste practices are closely related to broader sustainability behaviors in hospitality education. The study contributes to the understanding of how environmental education can shape the future of hospitality professional practice, offering valuable insights for the development of industry curricula and training programs aimed at promoting sustainable practices in the hospitality sector.

The prevalence of online learning has significantly increased, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, the shift to online education has presented numerous obstacles and concerns. The correlation between a lack of enthusiasm towards online learning and subpar academic achievements suggests the necessity to tackle the issues that impact students' involvement. Educators need to address obstacles encountered by students in online learning, including diminished concentration and inadequate learning delivery. Metaverse technologies, which have attracted growing interest among academia and practitioners, can be the answer to mitigate issues related to online education. Although metaverse technologies show promise for online education, there is a lack of research on their suitability for hospitality education. Comprehending how metaverse technologies can be seamlessly incorporated into online hospitality educational environments is crucial for the progression of such technology. Therefore, this study aims to conceptualize an extended reality metaverse-based pedagogy model for online hospitality education. The conceptual paper is a great resource for stakeholders who are interested in investigating the possibilities of metaverse technologies for hospitality education. This work also establishes a basis for future research that investigates the application of metaverse technologies in online educational environments.

U nique destination branding in tourism is crucial to gaining a competitive advantage. Local food is a significant component of a destination brand which Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) must integrate into their official marketing efforts. DMOs must monitor the popularity and perception of their food promotions against the competition. Online promotion and management are challenging due to the rise of usergenerated content. A utomatic data mining techniques were used to determine the extent to which tourist food choices on TripAdvisor matched foods promoted by DMOs and how distinct these choices were from a rival DMOs’ promotion. We compared online food promotion between the Sabah Tourism Board and the Sarawak Tourism Board. We developed a software system to automatically extract food branding business intelligence from TripAdvisor restaurant reviews. The application of web crawling and scraping technology was applied to extract data and use Sentiment Analysis for interpretation. Online foods promoted by DMOs for each region were found to contain only a few common dishes, but these were more popular than region-specific foods. Significantly different distributions of food choices were found for each region. Some potentially useful differences between foreign and domestic tourists and locals were also identified. Sentiment analysis revealed hidden information in reviews useful for potential food destination branding. Findings from TripAdvisor confirm practical suggestions for improving brand distinctiveness found in the literature. This study is the first to develop an actual system that DMOs could use to estimate the online popularity of their promoted foods and those of their competition.

This study explored factors affecting student engagement and performance in Work-Based Learning (WBL) among culinary students at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Cawangan Pulau Pinang Branch, using a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews with six (6) Diploma Culinary Arts students from the 2019 and 2020 WBL programs were analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings revealed crucial factors influencing engagement and performance. Positive aspects included a strong knowledge base, high discipline, effective time management, and proactive behavior. However, significant barriers such as sexual harassment and unfair treatment by supervisors were identified. The study also highlighted the importance of industry involvement and feedback for successful WBL experiences. To improve the WBL program, it is recommended to enhance collaboration with industry partners, systematically gather feedback, and adopt flexible program designs. Addressing these issues could significantly boost learning outcomes, performance, and overall student engagement in the WBL program.

This research investigates health risk perception and vaccine valence as factors that affect Malaysian intention to engage in domestic vacations. An online survey was created with Google Forms and distributed to a sample of 265 domestic travellers at least 18 years of age in May and June 2021; this is when the nationwide vaccine program started in Malaysia. The result indicates that vaccine valence risk perception was a significant factor in affecting domestic vacation intention. Only perceived behavioural control and subjective norms mediated the relationship between health risk perception and domestic vacation intention. Overall, vaccine valence risk perception tested significantly with all constructs in this study due to the various factors, especially the timing of data collection where the data collection was carried out amid the national vaccination program. Hence, the vaccine is now perceived as a hope for many as the solution to the current pandemic problem. It indicates that domestic vacationers will return once vaccinated and when tourism sectors are open for business and resume their regular operation. These findings extend the body of knowledge for the theory of health belief and theory of planned behaviour in predicting tourist intention to travel during a pandemic. Findings also indicate the positive impact of vaccine valence on the tourist's intention to travel, which provides a glimpse of future tourist behaviour when facing similar uncertainties.

In recent years, the hospitality and tourism industry has increasingly focused on enhancing the wellbeing of guests by providing tailored experiences that address their physical, mental, and spiritual health. This shift has spurred the development of Halal well-being experiences, specifically designed to cater to Muslim travelers by aligning services and facilities with Islamic principles. Halal well-being experiences include a range of services such as Halal-certified food, prayer facilities, gender-segregated wellness amenities, and activities promoting spiritual health. These offerings are vital for Muslim travelers who seek destinations and accommodations that respect and cater to their faith-based needs. To address these challenges, a comprehensive framework for Halal well-being experience quality is essential. This framework should include clear guidelines for service provision, training programs for staff, and effective marketing strategies. This research aims to explore the current state of Halal well-being experiences in the hospitality industry, identify the key challenges and opportunities, and propose a framework for enhancing service quality. The study provides insights and recommendations for developing and promoting Halal well-being experiences that cater to the needs of Muslim travelers. The research underscores the importance of seven dimensions of tourism experience quality (TEQ) in influencing tourist well-being: Halal hedonism, Muslim-friendly involvement, local culture friendliness, refreshment experience, meaningfulness experience, knowledge experience, and novelty experience. These dimensions collectively enhance the physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being of Muslim travelers, promoting a holistic approach to well-being in the tourism sector.