Investigating the influence of attitudes to local food on travel behaviour and perceived authenticity

In recent years, food tourism has become economically significant, accounting for 35% of overall visitor spend (Fáilte Ireland, 2018, p.9). Studies indicate that local food is a critical tourism resource (Henderson, 2009; Quan and Wang, 2004) with recent studies highlighting that local food can be an attraction (Björk and Kauppinen-Räisänen, 2014; 2017), appealing to those seeking authentic and novel experiences (Okumus et al. 2007; Sims, 2009).

Research shows that consumers are increasingly interested in local food (Bjork and Kauppinen-Räisänen, 2016; Hjalager and Richards, 2012). Yet, there is a dearth of literature investigating if this inherent interest affects consumers as tourists. With this in mind, this research aims to contribute to the field of tourism by focusing on the role of attitudes to local food as an antecedent and examine the influence of such an interest on travel behaviour. More specifically, the paper aims to investigate if tourist attitudes to local food impacts on destination choice travel motivation, satisfaction and perceived authenticity. Additionally, as local food embodies authenticity, the mediating role of object-related and existential authenticity on these relationships is also examined.

Findings from a quantitative enquiry using online and face-to-face data collection are presented (n=368). Data were analysed using factor analysis and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results show that tourist attitudes to local food influence destination choice (β=0.136; p< 0.001), satisfaction (β= 0.320; p<0.001) and perceptions of object-related (β= 0.542; p<0.001) and existential authenticity (β= 0.629; p<0.001). Furthermore, it was found that existential authenticity, rather than object-related authenticity had a greater impact on the relationships between tourist attitudes to local food and destination choice (β= 0.618; p<0.001), travel motivation (β= 0.817; p<0.001) and satisfaction (β= 0.386; p<0.001).

The paper concludes that there is a clear and influential relationship between tourists’ attitudes to local food and travel behaviour. Results further show that tourists want an existential authentic local food experience where they can be actively involved.

Consequently, by exploiting this finding, tourist stakeholders, food producers and destination marketers can add value to the tourist experience. Thus, benefiting the region by attracting more visitors and investment (Sims, 2009).