ANALYZING TOURIST MOTIVATION FOR DESTINATION PROMOTION THROUGH EWOM: FOCUS ON GASTRONOMIC EVENTS
Keywords:
motivation, rural destination, gastronomic events, eWOM
Abstract
Gastronomy plays a significant role in the cultural experience of everyday life, offering tourists a unique way to explore different aspects of a destination. Culinary experiences often serve as a key factor in the decision-making process when choosing travel destinations. During 2023 and 2024, the authors conducted a study at four major events in rural areas of Serbia: Kulen Festival in Erdevik, Bacon Festival in Kačarevo, Cabbage Festival in Mrčajevci, and Bean Festival in Čenej, surveying a total of 235 visitors. The aim of the research was to analyze the motivation of tourists at gastronomic events with the goal of promoting the destination through eWOM. The results showed that five factors influence tourists at gastronomic events to be motivated to recommend and promote the tourist destination through eWOM. The findings of this study indicate a significant potential for the development of gastronomic tourism in rural tourist destinations in Serbia. The practical implications of this research suggest that organizers of gastronomic events should focus on enhancing the tourist experience in order to encourage more positive eWOM, thereby effectively promoting destinations and attracting a larger number of tourists.
References
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23. Le, H. T. P. M., & Ryu, S. (2023). The eWOM adoption model in the hospitality industry: the moderating effect of the vlogger’s review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 14(2), 225-244.
24. Li, M., & Cai, L. A. (2012). The effects of personal values on travel motivation and behavioral intention. Journal of travel research, 51(4), 473-487.
25. Liu, X., Li, M. Y., Ma, Y. M., Gao, T. H., & Yuan, D. N. (2024). Personalized tourism product design focused on tourist expectations and online reviews: An integrated MCDM method. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 188, 109860.
26. Llamero, L. (2014). Conceptual mindsets and heuristics in credibility evaluation of e-Word of Mouth in tourism. Online information review, 38(7), 954-968.
27. López-Guzmán, T., & Sánchez-Cañizares, S. (2012). Gastronomy, tourism and destination differentiation: a case study in Spain. Review of Economics & Finance, 1, 63-72.
28. López-Guzmán, T., Uribe Lotero, C. P., Pérez Gálvez, J. C., & Ríos Rivera, I. (2017). Gastronomic festivals: Attitude, motivation and satisfaction of the tourist. British Food Journal, 119(2), 267-283.
29. Ma, A. T., Chow, A. S., Cheung, L. T., Lee, K. M., & Liu, S. (2018). Impacts of tourists’ sociodemographic characteristics on the travel motivation and satisfaction: the case of protected areas in South China. Sustainability, 10(10), 3388.
30. Martin, C. A., Izquierdo, C. C., & Laguna-Garcia, M. (2021). Culinary tourism experiences: The effect of iconic food on tourist intentions. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, 100911.
31. Masina, N. O., Boshoff, L., & Sifolo, P. P. S. (2021). Wildlife Tourism Motivation: A Case for Manyeleti Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 10(4), 1414-1429.
32. Medeková, K., Pompurová, K., & Šimočková, I. (2023). The Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) Focusing Studies on Tourism Research. In Online Reputation Management in Destination and Hospitality: What We Know, What We Need To Know (pp. 29-49). Emerald Publishing Limited.
33. Mgonja, J. T., Backman, K. F., Backman, S. J., Moore, D. D., & Hallo, J. C. (2017). A structural model to assess international visitors' perceptions about local foods in Tanzania. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(6), 796-816.
34. Mukhopadhyay, S., Pandey, R., & Rishi, B. (2023). Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) research–a comparative bibliometric analysis and future research insight. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), 404-424.
35. O'Sullivan, D., & Jackson, M. J. (2002). Festival tourism: a contributor to sustainable local economic development?. Journal of sustainable tourism, 10(4), 325-342.
36. Pantano, E., & Di Pietro, L. (2013). From e‐tourism to f‐tourism: emerging issues from negative tourists' online reviews. Journal of hospitality and tourism technology, 4(3), 211-227.
37. Pearce, P. L., & Lee, U. I. (2005). Developing the travel career approach to tourist motivation. Journal of travel research, 43(3), 226-237.
38. Pérez Gálvez, J. C., Pemberthy Gallo, L. S., Medina-Viruel, M. J., & López-Guzmán, T. (2021). Segmentation of tourists that visit the city of Popayán (Colombia) according to their interest in its gastronomy. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 19(2), 149-170.
39. Pesonen, J., Komppula, R., Kronenberg, C., & Peters, M. (2011). Understanding the relationship between push and pull motivations in rural tourism. Tourism Review, 66(3), 32-49.
40. Petrović, M. D., Gelbman, A., Demirović, D., Gagić, S., & Vuković, D. (2017). The examination of the residents’ activities and dedication to the local community–an agritourism access to the subject. Journal of the Geographical Institute" Jovan Cvijic", SASA, 67(1), 37-52.
41. Pizam, A., & Mansfeld, Y. (1999). Consumer behavior in travel and tourism. Routledge.
42. Stojanović, T., Čerović, S. (2008). Značaj gastronomske ponude za razvoj seoskog turizma Srbije. Zbornik radova PMF-Geografski institut br 56 Beograd
43. Stone, M. J., Soulard, J., Migacz, S., & Wolf, E. (2018). Elements of memorable food, drink, and culinary tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 57(8), 1121-1132.
44. Stylos, N., Bigné, E., & Bellou, V. (2024). The affective impact of sightseeing bus tour experiences: using Affective Events Theory (AET) to examine length-of-stay and electronic word-of-mouth. Tourism Recreation Research, 49(4), 740-756.
45. Telbisz, T., Imecs, Z., Máthé, A., & Mari, L. (2023). Empirical investigation of the motivation and perception of tourists visiting the Apuseni nature park (Romania) and the relationship of tourism and natural resources. Sustainability, 15(5), 4181.
46. Vukolić, D. (2020). Gastronomski proizvodi u funkciji razvoja različitih oblika turizma u Sremskom okrugu. Održivi razvoj, 2(2), 41-54.
47. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., & Bugarčić, J. (2021). Guest satisfaction with the offer of European international dishes and products in Serbian restaurants. Turističko poslovanje, (28), 27-38.
48. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., & Penić, M. (2022). The effect of social networks on the development of gastronomy–the way forward to the development of gastronomy tourism in Serbia. Journal of Tourism Futures. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
49. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., Petrović, M. D., Bugarčić, J., Spasojević, A., Veljović, S., ... & Petrović, T. (2023). Development of the concept of sustainable agro-tourism destinations—exploring the motivations of Serbian gastro-tourists. Sustainability, 15(3), 2839.
50. Yoo, C. K., Yoon, D., & Park, E. (2018). Tourist motivation: an integral approach to destination choices. Tourism review, 73(2), 169-185.
51. Yousaf, A., Amin, I., & C Santos, J. A. (2018). Tourist's motivations to travel: A theoretical perspective on the existing literature. Tourism and hospitality management, 24(1), 197-211.
2. Andersson, T. D., Mossberg, L., & Therkelsen, A. (2017). Food and tourism synergies: perspectives on consumption, production and destination development. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 17(1), 1-8.
3. Aziz, M. R., & Alam, A. F. A. (2024). The influence of digital marketing on tourists' behavioural intentions from social networks and e-WOM interactions. International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 20(3-4), 364-385.
4. Aziz, Y. A., Hussin, S. R., Nezakati, H., Raja Yusof, R. N., & Hashim, H. (2018). The effect of socio-demographic variables and travel characteristics on motivation of Muslim family tourists in Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 9(2), 222-239.
5. Basil, M.D.; Basil, D.Z. (2016). Reflections of ultra-fine dining experiences. In Memorable Customer Experiences: A Research Anthology; Lindgreen, A., Vanhammed, J., Bervelan, M.B., Eds.; Gower Publishing Company: Surrey, UK pp. 135–147.
6. Boukas, N. (2013). Towards understanding youth travel experiences in cultural heritage destinations: an integrated framework of youth cultural tourists’ behaviour. International Journal of Tourism Anthropology, 3(1), 3-27.
7. Carvache-Franco, M., Carvache-Franco, O., Carvache-Franco, W., Villagómez-Buele, C., & Arteaga-Peñafiel, M. (2023). Motivation and segmentation of gastronomic events: festival of the Red Crab in Ecuador. Annals of Leisure Research, 26(1), 27-43.
8. Carvache-Franco, M., Solis-Radilla, M. M., Carvache-Franco, W., & Carvache-Franco, O. (2023). Push and pull motivations as demand predictors of coastal and marine destinations: a study in Acapulco, Mexico. Tourism Planning & Development, 20(6), 1000-1018.
9. Chen, C. H., Nguyen, B., Klaus, P. P., & Wu, M. S. (2015). Exploring electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in the consumer purchase decision-making process: the case of online holidays–evidence from United Kingdom (UK) consumers. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 32(8), 953-970.
10. Cordova-Buiza, F.; Gabriel-Campos, E.; Castano-Prieto, L.; Garcia-Garcia, L. (2021). The Gastronomic Experience: Motivation and Satisfaction of the Gastronomic Tourist—The Case of Puno City (Peru). Sustainability, 13, 9170.
11. Folgado-Fernández, J. A., Hernández-Mogollón, J. M., & Duarte, P. (2017). Destination image and loyalty development: the impact of tourists’ food experiences at gastronomic events. Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism, 17(1), 92-110.
12. Fox, G., & Longart, P. (2016). Electronic word-of-mouth: Successful communication strategies for restaurants. Tourism and hospitality management, 22(2), 211-223.
13. Gajić, T., Đoković, F., Blešić, I., Petrović, M. D., Radovanović, M. M., Vukolić, D., ... & Mićović, A. (2023). Pandemic boosts prospects for recovery of rural tourism in Serbia. Land, 12(3), 624.
14. Gajić, T., Ranjbaran, A., Vukolić, D., Bugarčić, J., Spasojević, A., Đorđević Boljanović, J., ... & Rakić, S. R. (2024). Tourists’ Willingness to Adopt AI in Hospitality—Assumption of Sustainability in Developing Countries. Sustainability, 16(9), 3663.
15. Galati, A., Testa, R., Schifani, G., & Migliore, G. (2023). Tourists’ motivation toward culinary destination choice: targeting Italian tourists. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 26(4), 647-668.
16. González-Rodríguez, M. R., Martínez-Torres, R., & Toral, S. (2016). Post-visit and pre-visit tourist destination image through eWOM sentiment analysis and perceived helpfulness. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(11), 2609-2627.
17. González-Rodríguez, M. R., Martínez-Torres, R., & Toral, S. (2016). Post-visit and pre-visit tourist destination image through eWOM sentiment analysis and perceived helpfulness. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(11), 2609-2627.
18. Gracan, D. (2020). Research of Tourist motivations and activities in continental Tourism destinations. Economic and Social Development: Book of Proceedings, 8-18.
19. Hall, C. M., & Mitchell, R. (2001). Wine and food tourism. У књизи Douglas Norman, Douglas Ngaire, Derrett Ros, Special Interest Tourism.
20. Hjalager, A. M. (2003). What do tourists eat and why?: Towards a sociology of gastronomy and tourism. In CAUTHE (13th: 2003: Coffs Harbor, NSW) (pp. 546-561). Lismore, NSW: Southern Cross University.
21. Jiménez Beltrán, J., López-Guzmán, T., & Santa-Cruz, F. G. (2016). Gastronomy and tourism: Profile and motivation of international tourism in the city of Córdoba, Spain. Journal of culinary science & technology, 14(4), 347-362.
22. Junqueira, L. D. M., dos Anjos, F. A., & Velasco-González, M. (2020). What the context contributes to a production chain: the socio-cultural relations in a creative city of gastronomy. The case of Burgos, Spain.
23. Le, H. T. P. M., & Ryu, S. (2023). The eWOM adoption model in the hospitality industry: the moderating effect of the vlogger’s review. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 14(2), 225-244.
24. Li, M., & Cai, L. A. (2012). The effects of personal values on travel motivation and behavioral intention. Journal of travel research, 51(4), 473-487.
25. Liu, X., Li, M. Y., Ma, Y. M., Gao, T. H., & Yuan, D. N. (2024). Personalized tourism product design focused on tourist expectations and online reviews: An integrated MCDM method. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 188, 109860.
26. Llamero, L. (2014). Conceptual mindsets and heuristics in credibility evaluation of e-Word of Mouth in tourism. Online information review, 38(7), 954-968.
27. López-Guzmán, T., & Sánchez-Cañizares, S. (2012). Gastronomy, tourism and destination differentiation: a case study in Spain. Review of Economics & Finance, 1, 63-72.
28. López-Guzmán, T., Uribe Lotero, C. P., Pérez Gálvez, J. C., & Ríos Rivera, I. (2017). Gastronomic festivals: Attitude, motivation and satisfaction of the tourist. British Food Journal, 119(2), 267-283.
29. Ma, A. T., Chow, A. S., Cheung, L. T., Lee, K. M., & Liu, S. (2018). Impacts of tourists’ sociodemographic characteristics on the travel motivation and satisfaction: the case of protected areas in South China. Sustainability, 10(10), 3388.
30. Martin, C. A., Izquierdo, C. C., & Laguna-Garcia, M. (2021). Culinary tourism experiences: The effect of iconic food on tourist intentions. Tourism Management Perspectives, 40, 100911.
31. Masina, N. O., Boshoff, L., & Sifolo, P. P. S. (2021). Wildlife Tourism Motivation: A Case for Manyeleti Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 10(4), 1414-1429.
32. Medeková, K., Pompurová, K., & Šimočková, I. (2023). The Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) Focusing Studies on Tourism Research. In Online Reputation Management in Destination and Hospitality: What We Know, What We Need To Know (pp. 29-49). Emerald Publishing Limited.
33. Mgonja, J. T., Backman, K. F., Backman, S. J., Moore, D. D., & Hallo, J. C. (2017). A structural model to assess international visitors' perceptions about local foods in Tanzania. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 25(6), 796-816.
34. Mukhopadhyay, S., Pandey, R., & Rishi, B. (2023). Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) research–a comparative bibliometric analysis and future research insight. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(2), 404-424.
35. O'Sullivan, D., & Jackson, M. J. (2002). Festival tourism: a contributor to sustainable local economic development?. Journal of sustainable tourism, 10(4), 325-342.
36. Pantano, E., & Di Pietro, L. (2013). From e‐tourism to f‐tourism: emerging issues from negative tourists' online reviews. Journal of hospitality and tourism technology, 4(3), 211-227.
37. Pearce, P. L., & Lee, U. I. (2005). Developing the travel career approach to tourist motivation. Journal of travel research, 43(3), 226-237.
38. Pérez Gálvez, J. C., Pemberthy Gallo, L. S., Medina-Viruel, M. J., & López-Guzmán, T. (2021). Segmentation of tourists that visit the city of Popayán (Colombia) according to their interest in its gastronomy. Journal of Culinary Science & Technology, 19(2), 149-170.
39. Pesonen, J., Komppula, R., Kronenberg, C., & Peters, M. (2011). Understanding the relationship between push and pull motivations in rural tourism. Tourism Review, 66(3), 32-49.
40. Petrović, M. D., Gelbman, A., Demirović, D., Gagić, S., & Vuković, D. (2017). The examination of the residents’ activities and dedication to the local community–an agritourism access to the subject. Journal of the Geographical Institute" Jovan Cvijic", SASA, 67(1), 37-52.
41. Pizam, A., & Mansfeld, Y. (1999). Consumer behavior in travel and tourism. Routledge.
42. Stojanović, T., Čerović, S. (2008). Značaj gastronomske ponude za razvoj seoskog turizma Srbije. Zbornik radova PMF-Geografski institut br 56 Beograd
43. Stone, M. J., Soulard, J., Migacz, S., & Wolf, E. (2018). Elements of memorable food, drink, and culinary tourism experiences. Journal of Travel Research, 57(8), 1121-1132.
44. Stylos, N., Bigné, E., & Bellou, V. (2024). The affective impact of sightseeing bus tour experiences: using Affective Events Theory (AET) to examine length-of-stay and electronic word-of-mouth. Tourism Recreation Research, 49(4), 740-756.
45. Telbisz, T., Imecs, Z., Máthé, A., & Mari, L. (2023). Empirical investigation of the motivation and perception of tourists visiting the Apuseni nature park (Romania) and the relationship of tourism and natural resources. Sustainability, 15(5), 4181.
46. Vukolić, D. (2020). Gastronomski proizvodi u funkciji razvoja različitih oblika turizma u Sremskom okrugu. Održivi razvoj, 2(2), 41-54.
47. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., & Bugarčić, J. (2021). Guest satisfaction with the offer of European international dishes and products in Serbian restaurants. Turističko poslovanje, (28), 27-38.
48. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., & Penić, M. (2022). The effect of social networks on the development of gastronomy–the way forward to the development of gastronomy tourism in Serbia. Journal of Tourism Futures. Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print.
49. Vukolić, D., Gajić, T., Petrović, M. D., Bugarčić, J., Spasojević, A., Veljović, S., ... & Petrović, T. (2023). Development of the concept of sustainable agro-tourism destinations—exploring the motivations of Serbian gastro-tourists. Sustainability, 15(3), 2839.
50. Yoo, C. K., Yoon, D., & Park, E. (2018). Tourist motivation: an integral approach to destination choices. Tourism review, 73(2), 169-185.
51. Yousaf, A., Amin, I., & C Santos, J. A. (2018). Tourist's motivations to travel: A theoretical perspective on the existing literature. Tourism and hospitality management, 24(1), 197-211.