The effects of tourists' memorable gastronomy experiences and personal gastronomic traits on destination loyalty: The case of Konya

This study aims to investigate the relationships between personal gastronomic traits, memorable local gastronomy experiences, and destination loyalty. The relationships were examined using PLS-SEM. The data were collected from domestic tourists in Konya, Türkiye (N = 469). According to the regression analysis results, food neophilia and food neophobia have positive effects on memorable local gastronomy experience. Additionally, food neophilia and food neophobia positively influence destination loyalty. Memorable local gastronomy experience also has a positive impact on destination loyalty. Furthermore, memorable local gastronomy experience mediates the effects of food neophilia and food neophobia on destination loyalty. This study, within the framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior, extends the theory in the context of gastronomy tourism by examining the effects of personal gastronomic traits (food neophilia/neophobia) on memorable local gastronomy experience and destination loyalty. The findings provide practitioners in the tourism sector with a new perspective highlighting the role of gastronomic experiences in developing strategies to enhance destination loyalty.