Food Tourism: Consumer Behaviour in Relation to Traditional Food Fu-Chieh Hsu A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 Business School Abstract Traditionally, sun, sea, and sand are the major reasons why tourists travel, however, in post- modern tourism, tourism products are no longer restricted by these types of natural resources. In order to extend the tourism life cycle and to attract more inbound tourists from overseas, more and more niche markets are developing. One such market that has been highlighted recently is food tourism. Over the past two decades, food tourism is emerging as an area of practical interest for both the host country and tourists as food is an inevitable experience at the travel destination. Food, unlike other natural resources can be provided year-round by utilizing local ingredients. For destination managers there is a need to develop a sense of regional distinctiveness and to maintain the local cultural traditions of their regions. For tourists, food provides the tourists with a novel experience and the chance to become more deeply involved in the local culture and traditions. Accordingly, because of the benefits of food tourism, it has also created interest among scholars to investigate in greater depth. However, even though the study of tourism is increasing, research issues and topics are still somewhat limited. At this stage, there is still a lack of research regarding the tourist’s traditional food consumption behaviour. In redressing this omission, this study examines consumer choice behaviour of traditional Taiwanese foods. The specific objectives of this study are to: firstly, explore the food choice behaviour in relation to traditional food; secondly, to examine the impact of personality traits on tourists’ traditional food choice behaviour. After a review of the literature, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was selected to help explain tourists’ traditional food buying behaviour. This theory of TPB was used as it explained human’s behaviour from the perspective of the attitude-behaviour relationship and allows the researcher to conduct empirically based research. Furthermore, personality traits have been regarded as an important factor that influences people’s food choice behaviour. Therefore, in order to examine the influence of food tourism, two personality traits, food neophobia and sensation-seeking have been examined in this study. A quantitative research study design was adopted which was based on the postpostivism paradigm. A pilot survey was conducted in Australia involving 149 respondents to confirm the ii validity and reliability of the six scales used in the pilot study. As a result, the final questionnaire consisted of a total of 44 items in six different scales and two open-ended questions. The final survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews in Taiwan, with Caucasian tourists using a convenience sampling design. This resulted in 389 completed questionnaires. SPSS version 21 and AMOS version 21 were employed to analyse the numeric data and to test the hypotheses. Statistical techniques used with the pilot survey data included item analysis, reliability, and exploratory factor analysis. For the final survey, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was also used to examine the effect of socio-demographic variables while structural equation modelling was used in conjunction with a confirmatory factor analysis, as well as inferential and moderating effect analyses. Findings from this study revealed that the Theory of Planned Behaviour provided feasible explanations for traditional food consumption behaviour of tourists. In other words, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control all significantly contributed to the prediction of purchase intention of traditional Taiwanese food. This study also found that the personality trait of food neophobia had a significant negative relationship with traditional food purchase intention. However, it is interesting to note that the sensation seeking personality trait did not appear to be significant. This study also examined the moderating effect of food neophobia and the sensation seeking personality trait using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Results found that food neophobia was a moderator of the relationship between attitude-purchase intention and subjective norm-purchase intention. However, sensation seeking was neither a predictor nor a moderator of the intention to purchase traditional foods. Results from the open-ended questions found that the major reasons to purchase traditional Taiwanese food was associated with “new experiences”, “good reputation”, “affordable price”, and “cultural exchange”. The reasons for not trying traditional Taiwanese food was ascribed to “unfamiliar ingredients”, “food poisoning”, “unsanitary environment”, and “language barrier”. This study provided evidence that one of the effective ways to understand tourists’ traditional food buying behaviour is from the perspectives of both attitude-behaviour relationships and personality. iii Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the General Award Rules of The University of Queensland, immediately made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. iv Publications during candidature Hsu, F. C., Scott, N., & Robinson, R. (2013, February). Understanding tourists' purchase intention towards traditional Taiwanese food: The role of sensation seeking. Paper presented at CAUTHE 2013, Christchurch, New Zealand. Publications included in this thesis “No publications included”. Contributions by others to the thesis “No contributions by others.” Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree “None”. v Acknowledgement Every journey, regardless whether big and small, has its own challenges and hurdles. As I approach the final days of my academic journey, I think and reflect upon all those good and challenging moments that I had to face within the last three and a half years of my life. I would definitely agree that this journey would not have been possible if I had not had the support of my supervisors, mentors, fellow colleagues, family and friends. The guidance and the encouragement has definitely been a big part of my motivation and dedication. Therefore, I would like to sincerely extend my gratitude to all who have helped me achieve this. Foremost, I would like to acknowledge the care and guidance of my supervisory panel. I thank Associate professor Noel Scott for his continuous support towards my study and research. His patience, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge always gave me a clear direction when I could not see the way. I would also like to thank Dr. Richard Robinson, for his expertise and useful critiques. Associate professor Noel Scott and Dr. Richard Robinson have been like mentors to me, and I do consider myself extremely fortunate to have them as my supervisors. Along with the supervisory board, I would like to thank my Thesis committee: Dr. David Solnet, Dr. Karen Hughes and Dr. Shane Pegg for their ongoing encouragement, insightful comments, constructive questions and valuable discussions. The staff members of the schools of Tourism and Business of The University of Queensland have been equally supportive and I would like to thank them for all their help as well. My Fellow RHD members: Sammy, Vicky, Grace, Kuan, Jaki, Lynn, Marcus, Lavender, Hiro, Romina, Hayato, Riery, Hamed, Lintje, Marisol and Maya. I thank each and every one of you for your stimulating discussions and encouragement. I would also like to thank you all for sharing your sense of humour when I needed it most and making this journey filled with fun and laughter. I would also like to acknowledge the support of my family members. I cannot express my gratitude towards my parents for their immense love and guidance. It would have been vi impossible for me to even start this journey without the backup they provided me. My brother and sister-in-law have been very understanding and I thank you both for your immense faith in me. Each and every member of my family have supported my ambitions and allowed me to pursue my own career path. Lastly, I would like to thank the friendships that I have made and maintained in Australia and Taiwan. Carina, Can, Jimmy, Martin and Abhinav have been the solution to my emotional pressures with their sympathy and understanding. I would also like to thank all my other friends for the good and fun-loving times that we have shared. I would also like to thank two very special people in my life. My grandfathers on both my mother’s and father’s side have been an inspiration to me, not only during my PHD, but throughout my life. They have shaped me to become the person I am both mentally and spiritually. Their blessings and love encouraged me to begin my PHD, be motivated and to finally succeed in completing it.