THE ROLE OF MOTIVATIONAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL FACTORS IN FOOD TOURISM: EVIDENCE FROM MALAYSIA

Abstract

Food is an important element in hospitality industry as food will be consumed by tourists during their visit to any destination. Therefore, empirical evidence is important in examining factors that influence tourists to consume local food at their travel destination. This study examines motivational (knowledge, authentic experience, and sensory experience or taste) and physiological factors (food neophilia and food neophobia) that have influenced international tourists  to consume local food  when they visited two states in Malaysia namely, Penang and Terengganu. To achieve the aim of the study, a total of 140 respondents completed a survey conducted in these two states. The results of this study revealed that physiological factors were the stronger influence and had a bigger contribution to local food consumption among the international tourists in Penang and Terengganu compared to motivational factors. The motivational factors on the other hand, indicate low significant negative correlations with local food consumption in those two states.  In addition, the results on the general preferences for food when travelling chosen by the respondents reveal that they preferred to dine at the restaurants that conform to their belief systems as the restaurants serve distinctive cuisines.