Gastro-tourism well-being: the interplays of salient and enduring determinants

Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and test an integrated structural gastro-tourism wellbeing model consisting of food-related lifestyle and leisure attitude as a precursor of the consumption enjoyment of the gastro-tourism experience with satisfaction, life domain outcomes, tourism autobiographical memory and life satisfaction as outcomes of the consumption enjoyment. Design/methodology/approach The conceptual model was assessed with quantitative data collected from tourists based on their deliberate and incidental gastro-tourism experiences (N = 617). Findings The findings indicated that the enjoyment of gastro-tourism consumption experience significantly influences satisfaction, life domain outcomes, life satisfaction and tourism autobiographical memory. Life domain outcomes and tourism autobiographical memory have enduring influence on life satisfaction over time. Food-related lifestyle and leisure attitude are salient determinants of gastro-tourism wellbeing with their significant influence on consumption experience. Satisfaction with consumption experiences contributes to life satisfaction regardless of the experience type (deliberate versus incidental). Research limitations/implications This research extends our knowledge of tourism consumption experience in the domain of gastro-tourism as well as quality of life or wellbeing. Originality/value This research has offered an integrated framework to measure the interplays of salient and enduring determinants of gastro-tourism wellbeing. Future studies will benefit from this research as a baseline model linking consumption experience and life satisfaction.