The Influence of Cognitive Food Image on Tourists’ Desire and Intention to Consume Destination Food: A Macau Study

ABSTRACT

Despite its importance, moderated mediation analysis of destination food image is understudied in food tourism literature. By applying the stimulus-organism-response framework, the objectives of this study are firstly, to investigate the cognitive food image-intention relationship. Secondly, it will examine how tourists’ desire to try local food is affected by cognitive image of destination food. Thirdly, desire-intention relationship will be investigated. Fourthly, the mediating effect of tourists’ desire to try local food on the cognitive image-intention relationship will be examined. Fifthly, the moderating effect of tourists’ perceived difficulty of finding local food on the desire-intention relationship will be discussed. Lastly, gender as a moderator on the cognitive image-desire relationship will be examined. This research is based on an online survey of 449 Chinese tourists who have visited Macau. Our findings show that tourists’ desire to try destination food mediates the relationship between food image and tourists’ intention to eat destination cuisine. The mediation effect is more salient for low level of tourists’ perceived difficulty of finding destination cuisine. However, gender as a moderator of the image-desire is not significant. The study provides insight to destination management organizations and foodservice businesses on the use of local cuisine in destination promotion.

摘要

目的地美食形象的带调节效应的中介分析在美食旅游文献中并未得到充分研究。本研究运用刺激物-机体-反应框架, 首先考察目的地食物认知形象对游客的食物品尝意愿的直接影响。其次, 本研究将考察目的地美食认知形象对游客尝试当地美食的欲望造成的影响。第三, 研究旅客品尝目的地食物的欲望对其目的地食物品尝意图的影响。第四, 考察游客尝试当地美食的欲望在认知意象对食物品尝意向的影响之间的中介作用。第五, 讨论旅客感觉寻找当地食物的难易程度对食物品尝欲望和品尝意图间关系的调节作用。最后, 探讨性别能否作为食物认知形象和游客品尝当地食物欲望间关系的调节因素。基于对 449 名到访澳门的中国游客的一项在线调查, 本研究发现中国游客尝试目的地美食的欲望在食物形象与游客品尝目的地美食的意愿之间起中介作用。若国内游客觉得能比较容易找到目的地美食, 则上述中介效应更为显着。然而, 本研究并未发现性别对食物认知形象及品尝当地食物欲望间的关系有调节作用。该研究为目的地管理组织和餐饮服务企业提供了如何运用在地食物形象对目的地进行包装及推广的见解。

KEYWORDS:

• Destination food image
• desire
• intention
• stimulus-organism-response framework
• PLS-SEM
• moderated mediation
• Macanese food

关键词:

• 目的地食物形象
• 欲望
• 意图
• 本研究运用刺激物-机体-反应框架
• 偏最小二乘法结构方程模型
• 带调解的中介分析, 澳门当地美食

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. We have used destination food/cuisine and local food/cuisine interchangeably in the paper. In the context of our research, these terms are used with reference to Macanese food/cuisine.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Macau [MYRG2020-00235-FBA].

Notes on contributors

Jianlun Zhang

Jianlun Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Resort and Tourism Management at University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. His research interests include food tourism, psychological aspects of food, film tourism and tourism demand analysis (E-mail: [email protected]).

Ja Young (Jacey) Choe

Ja Young (Jacey) Choe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Resort and Tourism Management at University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. Her research interests include tourists’ food consumption, ethnic restaurant management, psychological and cultural aspects of food, food technology and cross-cultural studies (E-mail: [email protected]).

Christine Lim

Christine Lim is an Associate Professor in the Department of Resort and Tourism Management at University of Macau, Macau SAR, China. Her research interests include analysis of visitor trends, volatility, seasonality and forecasting (E-mail: [email protected]).