LOCAL FOOD: TOURIST BUYING INTENTIONS, THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR, AND THE MODERATING IMPACT OF FOOD NEOPHOBIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: Local food buying is an essential phenomenon in tourist activity. This paper analyses tourists' intentions to buy local food by applying the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). Concerning this framework, the authors investigate the moderating effect of food neophobia. (FN). Design/Methodology/ Approach: A survey of 266 tourists was used to collect data who visited the state of Uttarakhand, India, from distinct parts of the country. The data was evaluated using SPSS 23 and AMOS 23. Findings: The findings reveal that subjective norm (SN), attitude (ATT), and perceived behaviour control (PBC) have a positive and significant influence on tourists' buying intention for local food, where both subjective norm and attitude are moderated by food neophobia on their relationship with buying intentions. Practical implications: This study provides essential information to the food business, enabling entrepreneurs or decision-makers to accurately analyse the buying intent (BI) for locally produced food that is both widely accessible and exclusive to distinct groups of buyers. Originality/value: The current research is the first attempt to comprehensively analyse tourist buying behaviour towards local food in Uttarakhand, India. This is one of the few research studies in India that has employed food neophobia as a moderator to study the effect on local food buying intention among tourists. Keywords: Food neophobia, Local food, Tourist, Buying intention, theory of planned behaviour