Repost, Recommend, Revisit: Social Media, Influencer and Facilities Impact on Gastronomic Loyalty in Heritage Cities

The rapid evolution of digital communication and cultural tourism has reshaped gastronomic experiences into key drivers of destination loyalty. This study objectives are to examine the relationship of social media, social influencers, and facility quality towards tourists’ intention to revisit Melaka, Malaysia, a city renowned for its multicultural culinary heritage. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 250 domestic respondents through structured questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression analysis. The findings reveal that all three independent variables, social media, social influencers, and facilities, exert statistically significant effects on revisit intention. Notably, social influencers emerged as the most influential predictor, followed by facilities and social media. These results highlight the fundamental role of digital platforms and tourism infrastructure in shaping revisit behaviors in the context of gastronomy tourism. This study offers theoretical and practical insights for policymakers and tourism stakeholders, suggesting that effective influencer partnerships, facility enhancements, and targeted social media strategies are essential for sustaining repeat visitation. The findings further contribute to the growing body of literature on experiential and gastronomic tourism in heritage destinations.