The determinants of gastronomic tourists' satisfaction: a second-order factor analysis

Abstract

Despite the importance of the gastronomic experience for tourists' and hence for the competitiveness of tourist destinations, studies focusing on tourists' satisfaction with their gastronomic experience are virtually non-existent. More importantly, researchers have not yet produced evidence to support a factor structure of gastronomy satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to investigate the presence of a single second-order factor by developing and empirically validating a second-order factor analysis model for measuring satisfaction of gastronomic tourists in Portugal. As theorized, satisfaction comprised distinct first-order factors and a single second-order factor. The results suggest that gastronomy satisfaction in a tourism setting is a multidimensional construct comprising three factors: 'gastronomy', 'price and quality' and 'atmosphere'. Among these three first-order factors, 'gastronomy' was the most important determinant of tourist satisfaction, followed by 'price and quality' and 'atmosphere'.