Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide an integrated model to explain the simultaneous impact of gastronomy and destination attractiveness on tourist behaviour. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Melaka and Penang, Malaysia, targeting international tourists. Structural equation modelling analysis was used to examine and explain the relationships hypothesized in the proposed model. Findings The fit indices indicated the model structure was satisfactory. Examination of the specific paths in the model indicated that gastronomy attractiveness was positively associated with destination attractiveness and tourist behaviour. Meanwhile, the effect of tourists’ variegated gastronomy affection on the perceived attractiveness of a destination and the area’s gastronomy produced mixed results. Research limitations/implications The study contributed to the theoretical understanding of two important theories which are recreation specialization and attitude in the context of gastronomy tourism. The linkages in the model were empirically supported by statistical analyses. Practical implications The varying degrees of gastronomy affection amongst tourists can be used as an input to examine tourist behaviour within the gastronomy tourism context while simultaneously highlighting the importance of gastronomy to tourist destinations. Social implications The findings of this study are also deemed to assist destination marketers who observe that tourists have become more demanding in search of unique experiences offered by destinations. Based on the hypothesized model, tourists’ past gastronomy experience was a superior predictor than gastronomy involvement and knowledge on perceived gastronomy attractiveness which sequentially elevate tourist’s perceived destination attractiveness. Originality/value The study provided an integrated model for predicting tourist behaviour using tourists’ gastronomy affection.
The global Muslim tourists' expenditure on gastronomy products is on the rise. However, to date few studies were conducted to empirically determine the behaviour of the Muslim tourists' especially from the Middle East countries towards Malaysian gastronomy. Therefore, the key purpose of the present study was to empirically determine the Middle East tourists' behaviour towards their dining experience in Malaysia by employing the basis of means-end model approach. The proposed conceptual model of this study was tested using structural equation modelling analysis. The findings revealed that gastronomy attributes, dining quality and overall satisfaction of dining experience were significant positive predictors of the Middle East tourists' behavioural intention. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed and this paper ends with some suggestions for future research.
The present study aims to investigate the structural relationships among food involvement, food knowledge, food experience, food image, destination image, overall satisfaction and behavioral loyalty across first-time and repeat tourist groups from the perspective of food tourism. The study also examines if differences exist in these variables across the two groups of tourists. The "catch-as-catch-can" technique was used to sample international tourist in Melaka and George Town, Malaysia. A total of 1200 questionnaires were collected on-site and 75% of the total was randomly picked using SPSS, resulting in 868 responses analyzed. The two-step approach of structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to accomplish the study objectives. The t-test analysis demonstrated that repeat tourists expressed significantly higher food knowledge and behavioral loyalty than first-time tourists. The SEM results revealed that the structural model differed across first-time and repeat customers. This research contributes to the theoretical understanding of behavioral loyalty process across firsttime and repeat tourists in the World Heritage Site (WHS) of Malaysia from the food perspective.
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