Exploring visitors’ coastal gastronomy experiences through the lens of the theory of consumption value

The current study examines the structural relationships between visitors' gastronomy experiences, consumption value, attitudes, and revisit intentions in coastal regions. Data were collected online in early September 2024, resulting in 446 responses from Korean tourists who visited a coastal region and experienced local food. For the final analysis, SPSS 28 was used for descriptive and inferential analyses of the respondents, while AMOS 28 was employed to perform confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test 15 hypotheses. The findings revealed that visitors’ gastronomy experiences had significant relationships with all dimensions of consumption value, including emotional, epistemic, health, price, prestige, taste/quality, and interaction value. Furthermore, emotional, health, taste/quality, and interaction value significantly and positively influenced attitudes toward local food consumption. A positive relationship was also found between attitudes and revisit intentions. This study provides both practical and theoretical implications for understanding the role of gastronomy in coastal regions.