Visitor Attitudes on Motivational Dimensions in Consuming Local Foods in an Emerging Tourist Destination: The Case of Cali, Colombia

Scientific and practical interest in public and private spheres about motivations in the consumption of local gastronomy is growing globally. In this sense, this research focuses its analysis on the relationship between gastronomic attitude and the motivational dimensions for consuming local foods, based on the gastronomic experience of visitors to the city of Cali, Colombia, an emerging gastronomic tourist destination. This study used a quantitative method; a semi-structured survey was carried out with 362 tourists who visited Cali, Colombia, a gastronomic city in the Délice Global Network. The data were analyzed using Smart PLS-SEM Software Version 4.0 via the partial least squares technique (PLS-SEM). The findings show that a visitor’s gastronomic attitude is a predictor of their motivation to consume local food. Furthermore, among the indicators that explain the gastronomic attitude, the influence of the city’s gastronomy on the visit stands out as the most predominant factor in the visitor’s attitude toward gastronomic tourism. Other theoretical and practical implications are also discussed.