Authentic food experiences bring us back to the past: an investigation of a local food night market

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the authenticity-nostalgia nexus in food tourism experiences. Analysis of a convenience sample of 399 tourists visiting Hong Kung Night Market, a local food night market in Macao, revealed that both perceived food and atmosphere authenticity can trigger nostalgic emotion, which in turn enhances attitudes toward local food and gastronomy destination image, thus alluring tourists to return. Furthermore, the influence of atmosphere authenticity on nostalgic emotions is stronger for more experienced tourists. The results suggest that authentic and nostalgic cues should be leveraged to attract and retain tourists by DMOs and night market organizers.

Topics & Concepts