Spirit of place and brand equity: culinary tourism through a Confucian lens

Purpose This study explores the interplay between the spirit of place, brand equity and tourists’ travel intentions within the context of culinary tourism at destinations influenced by Confucian culture. It examines how Confucian values, such as benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and trust, shape the personality of culinary tourism destinations and how this personality influences tourists’ travel intentions both directly and indirectly through brand equity. Design/methodology/approach The researchers develop a conceptual framework highlighting dimensions of destination personality derived from Confucian values. These values serve as indicators of brand equity, focusing on dimensions like brand image, perceived quality and brand loyalty in the culinary tourism sector. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to analyze data from 503 tourists, examining the relationships between the Confucian-inspired destination personality, brand equity and tourists’ travel intentions. Findings The results show that tourists resonate strongly with the five Confucian personality traits, which significantly influence their travel intentions either directly or indirectly through enhanced brand equity. The study highlights the pivotal role of Confucian culture in shaping the destination personality and brand equity, which, in turn, drives tourists’ travel behaviors. Practical implications This study reveals how the spirit of place influences tourist behavior through brand equity, providing new perspectives and practical strategies for destination branding and development. Originality/value This study is the first to examine the relationships between spirit of place, brand equity and travel intentions within a Confucian cultural context, expanding the theoretical understanding of culinary tourism branding.