Changing ethnic culinary tourists’ behaviour through motivation

Abstract

Traditional cuisine is an important component of a destination's history, identity, and tradition. As culinary tourism enhances the tourist experience, it is necessary to investigate if tourists are motivated to become involved in a destination's gastronomic experience. Motivation drives guests' participation in tourism activities as well as mediates the effect of food involvement on travel. The aim of the study which has not been investigated empirically relates to the literature on Culinary Tourist Motivation (CTM), as the mediator in the relationship between the Culinary Tourist Value Scorecard (CTVSC) and Culinary Tourist Behavioral Involvement (CTBI). Through a questionnaire, 498 responses were collected. The PROCESS-SPSS (V3.0) macro plugin IBM SPSS (V24.0) procedure was used to generate direct and indirect effects in the mediated model. The results revealed that CTM had a full mediating effect between CTVSC and CTBI. Content and face validity of the constructs was ensured through a sound literature foundation, and the study makes a unique contribution by confirming the mediating effect of CTM in the relationship between the CTVSC and CTBI. Destination management organisations can benet from this study's findings as a guideline when developing marketing strategies to motivate visits to culinary attractions.