[Article] Identifying the Determinants of Food Tourism Behavior

#. Source: Park, S., & Seo, Y.(2010). Identifying the Determinants of Food Tourism Behavior: A Focus on Impact of the Placeness and Involvement. Journal of Tourism Sciences, 34(6): 149-169.

Identifying the Determinants of Food Tourism Behavior :
A Focus on Impact of the Placeness and Involvement

 

Seunghyun Park(박승현, 朴承玄) & Yongseok Seo(서용석, 徐龍錫)

ABSTRACT

The study determines the factors that impact on tourists' food tourism behavior Particularly, based on the related literature, this study focuses on the impact of tourists' level of attachment and involvement to a places on their food tourism choice behavior. It also investigates the mediating effects of the expectancy-value which operates in between placeness and food tourism behavior. Data were collected on-line from 300 people who visited Jeollabuk-do, which is the representative place of food tourism in Korea. Results shows that both the involvement and the placeness of the tourists make significant influences on the respondents' food tourism behaviors. Results also indicate that the expectancy value has also a mediating effect. Especially, enduring involvement turns out to be the most important factor in explaining the tourists' food tourism behavior. Finding from this study suggest that the government and the marketers should be concerned about the basic elements of food tourism such as authenticity of the foods and the attractiveness of the travel destination.

Keywords: Food tourism, Involvement, Placeness, Expectancy-value, Tourism behavior