관광객의 특성에 따른 음식관광자원 정보탐색행동 차이 연구

Classification of Food Tourists and Their Information Search Behavior

Although the importance of food tourism is growing, few studies have examined food tourists behavior in depth. This study opens up a new direction for the topic by linking tourists' behavior in searching for information on food tourism. The objectives of this study are: 1) to classify food tourists by food preference and food neophobia; 2) to examine whether there are differences in their behaviour in searching for information among the different types of food tourists; 3) to examine if the presence of their previous experience influences their informational search behavior. For this study, informational search behavior has been categorized into three factors: the types of food tourism resources, the types of informational sources, and the extent of efforts required to carry out the search. Survey participants have provided their previous travel experiences with their informational search behavior. The findings show that tourists have different informational search behavior depending on the level of their food involvement and food neophobia, and based on their previous experience. This study provides practical implications on the development of food tourism management strategies.