From plate to post: how foodstagramming enriches tourist satisfaction and creates memorable experiences in culinary tourism
Eslam Ahmed Fathy, Islam Elbayoumi Salem, Heba Abdel Kerim Youssef Zidan, Mohamed Kamal Abdien
Abstract
The study explores how dining environment attributes affect foodstagramming engagement, the impact of foodstagramming on tourists’ satisfaction, and the formation of memorable experiences. A total of 627 valid questionnaires were analysed employing SEM-PLS Warp8 to evaluate the proposed model. The study's findings demonstrate that the dining environment significantly influences the behaviour of tourists. This behaviour partially mediates the interaction between the dining environment, tourists’ satisfaction, and memorable culinary experiences. Additionally, it demonstrated that the overall culinary experiences of memorable tourists act as a mediator between the phenomenon of foodstagramming and the satisfaction of tourists. The research concludes by providing theoretical and practical implications, as well as suggestions for future research directions. This study integrates the theories of social cognitive, self-presentation, uses and gratifications theory, and nostalgia and memory to interpret the fascinating complex foodstagramming phenomenon. Restaurant managers should invest in the training of chefs to create visually stunning dishes and enhance the dining environment to encourage foodstagramming behaviour.