An Analysis of Food Tourists’ Behavior Among Unobserved Heterogeneous Groups

An Analysis of Food Tourists’ Behavior Among Unobserved Heterogeneous Groups

This study assessed key factors that influence food tourists' intention to consume local cuisine while traveling. This study also aimed to determine if there was any underlying heterogeneity in food tourists for market segmentation purposes. Food tourists were surveyed at four restaurants in the southeastern US and 450 responses were obtained. Overall, frequency of past behavior had the strongest positive influence on food tourists' intentions to consume local cuisine. A partial least squares prediction-orientated segmentation analysis revealed two segments among food tourists. The first group is more influenced by factors related to tourists' previous travel experiences, including the positive effects of frequency of past behavior and self-identity, and the negative effects of familiarity. The second group is more influenced by factors related to tourists' daily experiences including the positive effects of food involvement, motivation and novelty. Implications for academics and practitioners are discussed in detail.

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Zhang, P., Levitt, J. A., DiPietro, R. B., & Meng, F. (2019). An Analysis of Food Tourists’ Behavior Among Unobserved Heterogeneous Groups. Tourism Analysis, 24(2), 177–192. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354219X15525055915527