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This study examines the mediating effects of relationship quality (RQ) on the relationship between six antecedents and loyalty and the moderating effects of gender on these relationships.

Data were collected from a convenience sample of 300 respondents as they exited well-known casual dining restaurants in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia.

With the exception of physical environment, food quality, customer orientation, communication, relationship benefits and price fairness were significant predictors of RQ. RQ partially mediates the relationships between its antecedents and loyalty. Multi-group analyses reveal significant differences between males and females on these relationships.

At the theoretical level, the study contributes to the conceptualization of RQ in tourism and hospitality research. The sample is not representative of all casual dining restaurants in KL, but findings have important implications for restaurant management in terms of relationship marketing, advertising strategies and customer loyalty development.

The study extends existing models of RQ in the hospitality and tourism literature by confirming that RQ is best modeled as a second-order construct consisting of three first-order dimensions: trust, satisfaction and commitment. The study also demonstrates that RQ mediates the relationship between the antecedents of RQ and loyalty. Finally, this research confirms the moderating effects of gender on the hypothesized relationships.

Food is a key element in tourism experiences. This study aims to investigate the interplay of sensory and non-sensory factors in food tourism experiences and models their influence on satisfaction and behavioural intentions.

The study focuses on the culinary experiences of 304 tourists dining at ethnic restaurants and uses causal relationship discovery modelling to analyse data.

Sensory factors are important in tourists’ culinary experiences with cleanliness, noise levels and room temperature at the top of the causal chain. Results also indicate the interplay between sensory and non-sensory factors to explain overall satisfaction, intention to return and intention to say positive things.

Using embodied cognition theory, the study offers novel insights into the role of senses in food tourism experiences at rural destinations.

美食是乡村旅游的主要吸引物之一。本研究的目的是调查游客在用餐体验中感官和非感官因素的相互作用, 以及这些因素如何影响游客的满意度和行为意愿。

本研究使用因果关系建模的方法来分析 304 名在某地方特色餐厅用餐的游客的问卷数据。

结果显示, 对于游客的用餐体验而言, 感官和非感官因素具备同等的重要性。此外, 结果发现, 游客感知到的噪音水平、适宜的室内温度及清洁度在与其他因素的相互作用中非常重要, 并能激发游客的满意度和重游意愿。

基于认知理论, 本研究为更好地理解感官因素和非感观因素在乡村旅游情境下的游客用餐体验中的作用提供了新的知识。

La comida es un elemento clave en las experiencias turísticas. Este estudio investiga la interacción de factores sensoriales y no sensoriales en las experiencias de turismo gastronómico y modela su influencia en la satisfacción y las intenciones de comportamiento.

El estudio se centra en las experiencias culinarias de 304 turistas que cenan en restaurantes étnicos y utiliza modelos de descubrimiento de relaciones causales para analizar los datos.

Los factores sensoriales son importantes en las experiencias culinarias de los turistas con la limpieza, los niveles de ruido y la temperatura ambiente en la parte superior de la cadena causal. Los resultados también indican la interacción entre factores sensoriales y no sensoriales para explicar la satisfacción general, la intención de regresar y la intención de decir cosas positivas.

Utilizando la teoría de la cognición incorporada, el estudio ofrece nuevos conocimientos sobre el papel de los sentidos en las experiencias de turismo gastronómico en destinos rurales.

To examine the contentious relationship between brand image and brand personality in the context of tourism destinations.

The paper reviews the literature on brand (destination) image, brand (destination) personality and identifies examples of definitional inconsistencies and instances where the terms brand image and brand personality are used interchangeably. Two studies were carried out to investigate the relationship between the two constructs. Data were analysed using canonical correlation.

Results indicate that destination image and destination personality are related concepts. Canonical correlation analyses reveal that the emotional component of destination image captures the majority of variance on destination personality dimensions.

Academics must pay particular attention at distinguishing between brand image and brand personality, since, failure to do so, will hinder research progress and result in poor conceptual developments.

Destination marketers can focus on the commonality between destination image and destination personality in order to communicate unique destination features and to influence tourist behavior.

This paper fills a gap in the generic branding literature by adopting an empirical stance at delineating the relationship between brand image and brand personality in the context of tourism destinations.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the types of ethical challenges and dilemmas researchers face when engaging in family consumption research.

Drawing from the concept of micro-ethics to bridge reflexivity with ethics in practice, the paper provides a reflexive account of the various ethical dilemmas encountered by two family consumption scholars during their fieldwork. Both researchers conducted qualitative research on family meals.

The paper reveals five types of ethical tensions that can arise when doing research on family consumption. These tensions are addressed as display, positioning, emotional, practical and consent dilemmas, all of which have ethical implications. The findings unpack these dilemmas, showing empirical and reflexive accounts of the researchers as they engage in ethics in practice. Solutions and practical strategies for dealing with these ethical tensions are provided.

Despite the growing interest in interpretive family research, there is less attention on the ethical and emotional challenges researchers face when entering the family consumption scape. As researching families involves entering an intimate area of participants’ lives, the field may be replete with tensions that may affect the researcher. This paper brings the concept of micro-ethics to family marketing literature, showing how researchers can do ethics in practice. The paper draws on reflexive accounts of two researchers’ personal experiences, showing their emotional, practical, positioning and display challenges. It also provides practical strategies for researchers to deal with dilemmas in the field.

Information technology as a source of information and decision-making has wider acceptance in contemporary times. Studies have identified the importance of electronic word of mouth (eWOM) and its impact on decision-making. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the relationship between eWOM (pre-travel), destination image (post-visit), tourist satisfaction and eWOM intentions post the COVID-19 crisis. This study is important as it is anticipated that in the post-pandemic world, tourists would seek well-being-enhancing experiences more often than any other form of tourism.

Data were collected through an online questionnaire circulated over a period of six months from November 2020 to April 2021. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used.

The results depicted that wellness destination’s image has a significant influence on wellness tourists’ satisfaction level and their eWOM intentions. Furthermore, it also came to light that the satisfaction level of wellness tourist satisfaction was found to be significantly influencing their eWOM intentions. The mediating role of wellness tourists’ satisfaction was found to be significant from destination image (post-visit) to eWOM intentions. COVID-19 pandemic perceived health risk was also found to be significantly moderating the relationship between eWOM (pre-travel) and eWOM intentions.

Pre-travel online information about a wellness destination is an important determinant of travel decisions, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. This empirical study proves that effective use of this information can advance a destination’s marketing efforts and ensure future demand.