Journal of Tourism and Development

Journal of Tourism and Development

Investigating the impact of tourists' food consumption values ​​on tourists' behavioral intentions with an emphasis on the food experience of ecotourism in Gilan Province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Corresponding Author, Faculty Member, Department of Business Administration, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Management, Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Ghiaseddin Jamshid Kashani University, Qazvin, Iran
3 Department of Business Management, Faculty of Management and Economics, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/jtd.2025.500704.3012
Abstract
Food tourism is considered one of the important types of tourism today, and there is a need for further exploration and research in this field. In this regard, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of tourists' food consumption values ​​on tourists' behavioral intentions, with an emphasis on the food experience of ecotourism in Gilan province. The present study is a descriptive-survey study from the perspective of an applied goal, from the perspective of quantitative data type, from the perspective of deductive and inductive implementation logic, from the perspective of a cross-sectional time dimension, and from the perspective of a descriptive-survey study. The statistical population of this study consists of tourists in Gilan province in 1402-1403. The sampling method of this study was available sampling, and finally 385 people were selected as a study sample. The research data collection method was fieldwork and its instrument was a questionnaire. In this study, considering the type of hypotheses raised, PLS3 software was used to examine the research hypotheses. The results of this study showed that the consumption and experiential value of food has a significant effect on tourists' attitudes towards food, food destination image, and behavioral intentions. The results also showed that tourists' attitudes towards food and food destination image also have a significant effect on tourists' behavioral intentions. The consumer values of tourists regarding their future behavioral tendencies in relation to local Iranian foods, through the attitude and culinary experience formed in their minds, can contribute to the development of food tourism. A positive attitude and experience of tourists towards local foods increases their desire for revisits and recommendations to others.
Keywords

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