Food tourism destinations’ imagery processing model

Abstract

Purpose Over the last two decades, the concept of destination imagery (DY) has gained relevance in the academic literature due to its central role in the tourists’ destination choice process. However, there is still much to be explored within this topic, especially concerning DY processing. More specifically, the way external stimuli are processed in tourists’ memory is still unexplored. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to examine how DY is processed in individuals’ memories upon the reception of verbal stimuli related to food tourism destinations. Design/methodology/approach Through an online multilingual survey, imagery elements associated with European and Asian tourists’ favourite food tourism destinations were collected. Through a categorical content analysis, tourists’ perceptions were classified within Echtner and Ritchie’s (1993) tri-dimensional model’s dimensions. Results were examined against previous theories on DY. Moreover, a comparative analysis between the imagery of food tourism destinations held by Europeans and Asians tourists was carried out. Findings Results show that DY processing, when triggered by a food tourism destination stimulus, leans towards the holistic dimension, which reinforces previous theories on the topic, such as the very definition of destination image (DI), as well as the role of food on destination image. Moreover, differences were found between the type of destinations and the imagery processed by European and Asian tourists. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a significant data set, which comprised 1,186 responses, representativeness within the research universe cannot be assured. Although relatively equivalent volumes of data were collected from each of the two continents, there are significant discrepancies among the proportions of respondents from different countries within those two groups. Additionally, our theoretical model requires further validation through hypothesis verification procedures. This work builds theory, rather than testing it. In this context, it opens a research avenue for future studies adopting a more positivistic philosophical stance to research, which could submit the theories provided here to the scrutiny of rigorous, hypothesis testing, quantitative methods. Practical implications This paper provides an initial idea for destination managers about which aspects to highlight in their marketing campaigns. This particularly applies to destinations to which ethnic food is a relevant part of the tourist appeal, and whose managers intend to attract repeat visitors. Social implications The present study’s findings imply a series of suggestions for tourism practitioners. First, they provide an initial idea for destination managers about which aspects to highlight in their marketing campaigns. Originality/value The present study represents a first initiative of building a theoretical model of food tourism destinations’ imagery processing. Findings also provide original theoretical contributions to the concept of DY and lead to relevant managerial insights, particularly, into destinations aiming at attracting repeat, food-oriented tourists.

Perceived destination image of Poland: an analysis based on Ukrainian and Russian perceptions

“…Some authors clearly separate the concepts of destination image and destination imagery , Kuhzady et al 2017Araújo et al 2019;Cardoso, Vila et al 2019). The destination image includes all mental associations with a particular name of a destination and consists of three dimensions: attributes, advantages and attitude towards the destination (Keller 1993), whereas the destination imagery is a mental process that is responsible for processing and storing multisensory information in the working memory (Echtner & Ritchie 2003;.…”

Local food consumption during travel: Interaction of ıncentive‐disincentive factors, togetherness, and hedonic value

“…The fundamentals of food tourism are composed of such elements as local and unique restaurants, culinary events, and hawker stands (Stone, Migacz, & Wolf, 2019). According to Cardoso, Araújo Vila, de Araújo, and Dias (2019), local food and consumption habits reflect and embody a cultural value. Therefore, consuming food peculiar to a place or visiting regional restaurants has become a common motivation for travel (Hall & Sharples, 2003).…”

La imagen Top of Mind de un Destino Turístico durante un Mega-evento. El Caso de Viana do Castelo y el Festival Vodafone Paredes de Coura

“…Para Bowdin et al (2006) la industria de los eventos está en creciente desarrollo, sustentada por el crecimiento económico y por el incremento del tiempo dedicado al ocio en la mayoría de los países occidentales. En este sentido, Getz (2005) resume el papel de los eventos en el turismo y en la economía como se observa en la Figura 1.…”

“…Según Landry (2000), los eventos poseen una acción de animación "dando" vida a los lugares y generando una imagen positiva junto con los turistas nacionales e internacionales. Inclusive, los destinos consideran, cada vez más, los eventos como forma de cautivar a visitantes masivos, atraer inversiones y rendimientos y crear una imagen mediática positiva de la región (Smith, 2004;Bowdin et al, 2006). Getz (2008) afirma que los festivales destacan como producto turístico entre los eventos culturales y dentro de la cartera de productos turísticos de un destino.…”