Food and cuisine image in destination branding: Toward a conceptual model

This study addresses the conceptualization of food image and examines the role food and cuisine play in the formation of destination brand image. By tracing the destination branding literature with a specific focus on image and three components that influence food image formation, the authors map the current state of food image research in tourism. They then provide a dual-perspective review of food image-one that is projected and/or perceived by destination marketers and their food producers and suppliers, and the other a mental representation as perceived by tourists. The evaluation aligns the various dimensions, underlying variables, and indicators of food destination attractiveness as reflected in host-tourist perspectives. The paper offers a comprehensive conceptual framework of food tourism branding and suggests a pathway for future empirical research on destination image and branding.