Memories are not all positive: conceptualizing negative memorable food, drink, and culinary tourism experiences

Stone, Matthew J and Sthapit, Erose ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1650-3900 (2024) Memories are not all positive: conceptualizing negative memorable food, drink, and culinary tourism experiences. Tourism Management Perspectives, 54. 101296. ISSN 2211-9736

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Abstract

Memorable tourism experience (MTE) and memorable food tourism experience (MFTE) research has focused almost exclusively on positive experiences. This has limited theoretical development because categorizing positive experiences may not cover all memorable experiences. This study asked travelers for their most memorable negative food travel experience. Notably, about 30% stated they never had a negative MFTE. Factors contributing to a negative MFTE were: food/drink quality; sanitation/food safety; cultural differences; dietary/menu restrictions; service attributes; price/perceived value; and destination's lack of food or restaurant availability. These factors differ from positive MFTE. Negative MFTE focused more on food and service than other attributes (e.g. social, touristic) found with positive MFTE. Some factors (e.g. food, service) contribute to both positive and negative MFTE, while others (e.g. sanitation) only to negative MFTE. Thus, Herzberg's two-factor theory can be applied to MFTE: attributes may be satisfiers (leading to positive MTE), dissatisfiers (leading to negative MTE), or either.