Regional food destination attractiveness: an exploration of food day‐tripper preferences

Authors: Manimont, G., Memery, J. and Alahakoon, T.

Conference: International Food Marketing Research Symposium

Dates: 13-15 June 2023

Abstract:

Consumers’ desire for unique and authentic food experiences has established food as an essential ingredient for travel. Indeed, some consumer groups, such as foodies, have elevated this trend by incorporating it into their daily lives (Robinson & Getz, 2013), giving rise to a new market segment called ‘food day-trippers’ who plan day trips to nearby destinations to experience local food. As a result, food destinations targeting food day-trippers have emerged. Given the potential for local food to enhance destination attractiveness (Rand et al., 2003), it is likely destinations that establish themselves as regional food destinations will attract food day-trippers. However, despite this potential, scant research addresses regional food destination attractiveness and preferences for regional food from the food day-tripper perspective, a growing market segment that Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs) can target (Manimont et al., 2022). The current paper aims to address this gap by investigating how food destination attributes connect back to food day-trippers’ preferences through using a personal values lens. First, it explores the salient attributes that represent food destination attractiveness from the food day-tripper perspective, before investigating how personal values shape food day-trippers’ attribute preferences. Repertory Test and Laddering Analysis are used to study these connections and provide valuable insights into the personal values that shape attribute preferences and drive food day-tripper destination choices and behaviour.

https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/38749/

Source: Manual