Does gastronomy determine visitors’ holiday destination choice? Empirical evidence based on a mixed-methods research approach

Figures & data

Figure 1. Demographics of respondents.

Table 1. The extent to which respondents consider destination gastronomy in their holiday destination choice

		Frequency	Percent
If your answer to question number 1 is yes, to what extent do you consider destinations’ food in your decisions?	To a larger extent	51	25
	To some extent	128	62
	Not at all	26	13
	Total	205	1.0

Table 2. Consideration of destinations’ gastronomy as a factor when deciding holiday destinations: cross-tabulation results of regional nationality

			Regional Nationality
			Asians	Europeans	Africans	Others	Total
Do you consider cuisine (gastronomy) as one of the factors when you decide on your holiday destinations?	Yes	Count	72	9	47	34	162
		Expected Count	69.8	11.9	43.6	35.7	161.0
	No	Count	16	6	8	12	42
		Expected Count	18.2	3.1	11.4	9.3	42.0
Missing							1
Total		Count	88	15	55	46	205

Table 3. Chi-Square test results

Chi-Square Tests
	Value	Df	Asymptotic Significance (2-sided)
Pearson Chi-Square	7.530^a	3	.048
Likelihood Ratio	6.746	3	.065
Linear-by-Linear Association	.363	1	.540
N of Valid Cases	204

^a.2 cells (25.0%) have an expected count of less than 5. The minimum expected count is 2.57.

Table 4. ANOVA test results

ANOVA
If your answer to question number 1 is yes, to what extent do you consider destinations’ gastronomy in your decisions?
	Sum of Squares	Df	Mean Square	F	Sig.
Between Groups	3.480	3	1.099	3.164	.031
Within Groups	65.052	200	.357
Total	68.532	203

Table 5. Major attributes of destinations’ gastronomy that create a memorable destination image

No	Items	Frequency	Percent
1	Novelty	116	20
2	Taste and flavor/smell	103	18
3	Authenticity	85	15
4	Ambiance	62	11
5	Presentation	49	8
6	Food quality and variety	46	8
7	Service quality	37	6
8	Food production process (the art of cooking)	31	5
9	Socialization	28	5
10	Price	22	4

Table 6. The nexus between gastronomy and holiday destinations

No	Items	Frequency	Percent
1	Gastronomy creates a lasting destination image	94	22
2	Destinations’ gastronomy complements visitors’ holiday	87	20
3	Destinations’ gastronomy as a core destination product	65	15
4	Gastronomy serves as a platform to learn and discover	47	11
5	Gastronomy is a determinant factor of holiday destination choice	45	10
6	Gastronomy as a unique selling proposition (USP) for destinations	41	10
7	Gastronomy makes holidays memorable and ignites repeat visits	19	4
8	Gastronomy and holidays have a close link but are not decisive	15	3
9	Gastronomy is a source of happiness and feels important	11	3
10	Gastronomy has profound economic impacts on holiday destinations	8	2

Table

No	Country	No. of participants
1	Ethiopia	43
2	Indonesia	23
3	Fiji	23
4	Uzbekistan	15
5	South Korea	14
6	China	14
7	India	7
8	Nepal	4
9	Nigeria	4
10	Solomon Islands	4
11	Vanuatu	3
12	France	3
13	Italy	3
14	Mexico	3
15	New Zealand	3
16	Thailand	3
17	Greece	3
18	Colombia	2
19	Philippines	2
20	Ghana	2
21	Tajikistan	2
22	USA	2
23	Vietnam	1
24	Zambia	1
25	Tonga	1
26	Australia	1
27	Bangladesh	1
28	Belgium	1
29	Honduras	1
30	Ireland	1
31	Japan	1
32	Latvia	1
33	Lebanon	1
34	Malawi	1
35	Malaysia	1
36	Poland	1
37	Portugal	1
38	Russia	1
39	Saudi Arabia	1
40	Serbia	1
41	Seychelles	1
42	South Africa	1
43	Spain	1
44	Sweden	1
45	Switzerland	1
46	Total	205