Travel motivation and behavior toward visiting a food tourism destination

This thesis provides the understanding of food travel motivation and behavioral intentions of potential food tourists toward visiting a food tourism destination. By applying a quantitative research approach, the study found that food lovers are motivated by three intrinsic motives (taste of food, socialization and cultural experiences) and three extrinsic motives (core-food tourism appeals, traditional food appeals and local destination appeals). In addition, the behavioral intentions of food lovers toward their future food trips are directly influenced by attitude, perceived behavioral control and food involvement. This thesis makes a contribution to the managerial and professional society of hospitality and tourism.