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Relationship of dining experience risk factors with tourist’s willingness to try local food at
island setting in Terengganu.

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1 Norsyakira Ahmadi, Asma’ Ali, Wan-Zainal-Shukri*

1 Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus,
Malaysia.

* Corresponding author: wanafiz@umt.edu.my

Abstract
Good food experience during vacation is crucial to satisfy tourist’s needs and wants for authentic local
food consumption. However, when encountered with new environments, foods, and cultures, tourists
may expose to various dining risks wherein it will affect tourists’ overall destination experiences.
Tourists could potentially face many uncertainties and challenges, including unfamiliar taste, danger
(unsafe for consumption), fear of unknown food as well as infectious diseases risk. Thus, this study is
aimed at exploring impact of dining risk factors on willingness to try local food among tourists who
had visited Redang and Perhentian islands, in Terengganu. It utilised survey questionnaires which were
conducted through online platform using Google form involving four hundred and seventeen (417)
tourists from April 2021 until August 2021. Out of 417 completed questionnaires received, only 363
valid questionnaires were accepted. Data obtained from the survey questionnaires were performed using
the latest version of Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) as well as analytical statistic
(Spearman Correlation coefficients). The findings depicted that place attachment towards island and
acceptance on new normalcy (effect of pandemic Covid-19) significantly correlated with tourist’s
willingness to try local food. Meanwhile, Neophobia tendency, health initiative and awareness as well
as emotional connection showed weak or no relationship with the dependent variable. The implications
of this research will provide insights for Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MOTAC), stakeholders,
tourism marketers and hospitality businesses in promoting local food, strengthened overall tourists’
memorable tourism experience, as well as improving their quality of gastronomic products and services
in the future.

keywords: Island tourists, Local food, Willingness-to-try, Risk perception, Multilinear regression, Post-
pandemic travel effect.