This study examines international tourists' protection intentions to utilize food safety cues in the choice of destination local restaurant, reducing the risk of contracting a foodborne illness. A survey was conducted of 398 first-time foreign travellers to Malaysia. The results driven by Exploratory Factor Analysis reveals that food safety indicators comprised three dimensions: visual food safety cues, information food safety cues, and the level of restaurant patronage. Cluster analysis confirmed that protection intention to use different food hygiene cues differs across tourists' subgroups of gender, age, nationality, level of income, level of education, travel purpose, and trip arrangement.