Experiencing the Place and Drinking Its Wine: How Does Attitude Toward Place Transfer to Its Products?

Abstract

A considerable number of studies have focused on how to build and sustain strong and meaningful relationships with tourists, especially when the latter have an ever increasing number of choices and exhibit variety-seeking behavior. However, these studies have not focused on how attitudes toward a region or place can transfer to products. The aim of this study is shed the light on the transfer of attitudes and its impact on tourist’s wiliness to support regional products.

Data was collected using a questionnaire survey across 14 regions. The total number of respondents was 3,323, and the completed and usable surveys were 1,109 in total. To test hypotheses, each respondent answered questions pertaining to one specific region (the region they had visited as a tourist, which represents the tourist’s direct experience). The questions included attitude toward a region’s attributes (Quality and Pleasing), the perceived value for money of its regional products, and tourists’ wiliness to support the regional products. A total of five hypotheses were tested with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results from this study provide support for the idea that attitude toward a region’s attributes (Quality and Pleasing) has a positive impact on the perceived value for money of its regional products. This confirms the transfer of attitude from a regions or place to products and shows that tourists’ associations with a region translate into associations about products from that region. The association between regions (place) and its products is thus supported. In addition, attitudes toward a region’s attributes strengthen a customer’s willingness to support the region’s products. Lastly, men and women vary in their responses across the model.