Exploring tourist preferences for local food: a Best-Worst Scaling analysis and market segmentation approach

Purpose - Local food impacts tourist satisfaction and drives the choice of a tourist destination. However, it is not clear which attributes of local food products drive tourists' preferences. More specifically, little is known about potential segments in the tourist market. Acknowledging consumers' divergent inclinations, we explore tourist preferences toward local food attributes through a market segmentation approach. Design/methodology/approach - This study uses the Best-Worst Scaling method to examine the preferences of 311 tourists for attributes of local food products that are known to affect their choices. We employ a Latent Class Analysis to identify market segments with distinct preferences. Findings - Results indicate that tourists prioritize taste, quality, authenticity, healthiness, connection to local culture and tradition and environmental friendliness over price, appearance, enhancement of local economy, availability and packaging. We further identify three segments: Sensory Seekers, Cultural Experiencers, and Price Conscious. The largest segment, Sensory Seekers, is driven by taste and quality attributes, while Cultural Experiencers prioritize connection to local culture and authenticity. The Price Conscious segment places a greater emphasis on price than the other segments. Cultural Experiencers demonstrate the highest willingness to pay for local food products. Practical implications - The positioning of local products should target Cultural Experiencers. Agri-firms and state agencies promoting a tourist destination internationally can also use the connection to local culture and authenticity in their marketing campaigns. Originality/value - Our research contributes to food marketing literature by showing which local food attributes drive tourist preferences. Moreover, we uncover unobservable heterogeneous preferences among tourists.