International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol.30, no.3, pp.1472-1491, 2018 (SSCI, Scopus)
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine how food neophobia, food involvement, tour guide performance and intention of local food consumption impact each other. Design/methodology/approach: A survey was performed with a sample of international tourists visiting Antalya, Turkey, and the data were used to test the proposed research model by means of structural equation modelling. Findings: Results reflected a causal relationship among the examined constructs. Although tour guide performance had an insignificant effect on food neophobia, tourists’ food involvement negatively impacted and decreased neophobia. Originality/value: This study is an exceptional contribution to the literature, as it empirically investigates the role of tour guides on tourists’ local food consumption behaviour.