Ethnocentrism in Food Tourism: A Dual Perspective

Abstract

This conceptual paper examines how ethnocentrism shapes tourists' behavioural intentions by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour into the context of food tourism. As global interest in food tourism continues to expand, understanding the psychological aspect of ethnocentrism and how it influences tourist decision-making has become increasingly important. Ethnocentrism extends beyond the tourist perspective to encompass the values held or nurtured by Marketing Destination organisations (DMOs). To explore these dynamics, this study adopts a conceptual research design grounded in a structured synthesis of peer-reviewed literature on ethnocentrism, food tourism, and the Theory of Planned Behaviour in tourism studies. Through this theory-driven analytical approach, the paper develops a conceptual framework that illustrates and proposes how ethnocentrism influences attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control, serving as an antecedent that eventually shapes local food purchase intention among tourists. The findings highlight that ethnocentrism, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control function as a whole, rather than in isolation, in influencing tourist food purchase intention. Theoretically, this paper extends the Theory of Planned Behaviour framework into a new domain. In practice, it underscores the need for tourism providers and policymakers to create specific, niche marketing and environments to attract ethnocentric tourists and tourists in general, gain leverage, and remain competitive in the tourism industry.