This research explores food tourism, which combines travel and food, and examines its impact on travel intentions. The study uncovers the relationships between local food, food image, and food motivations, investigating how they influence travel intentions. Additionally, it explores the role of social media in shaping food preferences and travel intentions. Data for this study were collected using a self-administered online questionnaire, resulting in 312 responses. The structural model was analyzed using Hayes’ PROCESS macro for mediation analysis in SPSS. The findings underscore a significant relationship between travel intentions and variables such as food motivation, food image, and motivation for local food consumption. Additionally, the study examines the moderating effects of social media and past behaviors, offering distinct and novel insights. While past behavior moderates all the relationships studied, social media influence does not, highlighting a novel and intriguing finding. This research offers a novel conceptual model that unites food motivations, food image and motivations for local food consumption. It is an original contribution incorporating social media influence and past behavior as moderators of travel intentions.

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Food tourism,Food motivations,Travel intentions,Social media influence,Local food consumption

• Economia e Gestão - Ciências Sociais