A qualitative study of antecedents of enduring involvement and its role in dining experiences of tourists

Abstract

Purpose - Considering the importance of involvement in experience, this paper aims to understand what factors lead to enduring involvement and how this type of involvement influences the food experience of tourists in the restaurant context. Design/methodology/approach - Twenty tourists who had a dining experience in the restaurants of Queenstown, New Zealand were interviewed using the purposive sampling method. Findings - Using manual coding, 11 factors were found to contribute to enduring involvement. The findings also showed that enduing involvement influenced the food experience of tourists in a positive way including four consequences. Research limitations/implications - The research is limited to the restaurants of a specific destination and the findings should be generalised with caution. It, however, contributes to the existing research on involvement and experience in the hospitality and tourism literatures. Practical implications - The findings provide guidelines on how restaurateurs understand the tourists’ perceptions and evaluations of their offerings to improve the dining experiences and manage their businesses effectively. Originality/value - Previous research has not offered an understanding of what factors contribute to enduring involvement in the hospitality and tourism literatures and how this involvement impacts dining experiences of tourists.