Exploring tourists' purchase intention of food-related souvenirs

This study aims to understand the association between food souvenirs and a destination. Most related studies focused on locally consumed food while this study aims at food that can act as a souvenir. Food image plays an important role in shaping destination brand and perceived tourist value, which consequently contributes to purchase intention for food souvenirs. In short, the study examines how local food consumption improves perceived tourist value, which eventually contributes to tourists' intention to purchase food-related souvenirs. 355 tourists who purchased brown sugar steamed cake while visiting Penghu Island in Taiwan were surveyed. The study performed structural equation modeling to test the mediating effects of destination brand and perceived tourist value on souvenir food image prompting purchase intention for food souvenirs. The findings indicate that food souvenirs image contributes more strongly through perceived tourist value than through destination brand.