TOURIST HETEROGENEITY IN FOOD DESTINATION IMAGE: GENDER, AGE AND LENGTH OF STAY DIFFERENCES, MALAYSIA

This study examines whether food destination image perceptions differ across selected dimensions of tourist heterogeneity, specifically gender, age, and length of stay in the Malaysian food tourism context. A quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional survey design was employed using data from 653 tourists who participated in food-related tourism activities in Malaysia. Independent samples t-tests and Welch’s analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Games-Howell post-hoc comparisons, were used by using SPSS to examine differences in food destination image across tourist groups. Effect sizes were also reported to assess the practical magnitude of statistically significant differences. The findings indicate statistically significant differences in food destination image across gender, age, and length of stay groups. Male respondents reported higher food destination image scores than female respondents, although the magnitude of the difference was small. The findings suggest that destination management organisations and food tourism marketers should recognise tourist heterogeneity when developing destination communication and experience strategies. The study provides empirical evidence that food destination image perceptions are not necessarily uniform across tourist groups within the Malaysian food tourism context. By considering both statistical significance and effect size, the study offers a more cautious understanding of tourist heterogeneity in food destination image.