Digital Food Content Marketing in Tourism: An Integrated Conceptual Framework of Informational, Emotional, Social and Identity-Based Content Dynamics.

Digital food content has increasingly become a key driver of tourist decision-making; however, theoretical explanations of how different content types shape tourists’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses remain fragmented. This conceptual paper introduces a comprehensive framework for digital food content marketing in tourism. It does so by extending four fundamental content dimensions, which are informational, emotional (entertainment), social interaction, and identity-based content, into a comprehensive system of content dynamics that impact tourist engagement. Digital food content extends beyond the simple transmission of factual information and is increasingly embedded in how tourists make sense of their experiences. Engagement with this content often possesses emotional and social significance and, at times, embodies the manner in which individuals articulate their identity. These interpretations are shaped by the affordances of digital media and by persuasive visual elements commonly used in food-related content, as discussed in the digital consumer psychology literature. As tourists interact with different forms of content, a range of psychological responses may emerge, rather than a single, uniform process. Interactions with digital food content shape how individuals evaluate experiences, form emotional attachments, and relate socially. These responses gradually shape destination perceptions, influence preference development, and affect the likelihood of experience sharing in online spaces. This framework offers a clearer understanding of how these processes operate in digitally mediated and socially networked travel contexts.

Food Tourism, Digital Media, Social Influence, Tourist Behaviour, eWoM

1. Amalia, R., Wibisono, N., & Elliott-White, M. (2023). Increasing tourist revisit intention in Garut tourist attractions: The role of destination image and tourist satisfaction. Journal of Marketing Innovation (JMI), 3(2). https://doi.org/10.35313/jmi.v3i2.74 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Archi, Y. E., Benbba, B., Zhu, K., Andaloussi, Z. E., Pataki, L., & Dávid, L. D. (2023). Mapping the Nexus between sustainability and digitalisation in tourist destinations: A bibliometric analysis. Sustainability, 15(12), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129717 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Björk, P., & Kauppinen-Räisänen, H. (2019). Destination foodscape: A stage for travellers' food experience. Tourism Management 71, 466-475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.11.005 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Cruz-Milán, O., & Castillo-Ortiz, I. (2023). Destination brand personality, self-congruity, and crime perceptions: Effects on travel intentions. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 28, 100781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2023.100781 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Evans, S. K., Pearce, K. E., Vitak, J., & Treem, J. W. (2017). Explicating affordances: A conceptual framework for understanding affordances in communication research. Journal of Computer-mediated Communication, 22(1), https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12180 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Gozen, E., Aktas Alan, A., Celep, E., Ergun, G. S., Yayla, O., Keles, H., & Aytekin, A. (2023). How Does Destination Experience Value Affect Brand Value and Behavioural Intention? The Moderator Role of Self Congruity. Sustainability, 15(18), 14004. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151814004 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Guo, X., Liu, B., He, J., & Li, S. (2025). The impact mechanism of tourism short video content marketing on users’ travel behavioral intention. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04801-3 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Hu, Rui. (2025). The evolution of social media affordances and the changing landscape of digital marketing. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 189, 136-141. 10.54254/27541169/2025.BL23889 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Huang, Y., & Liu, L. (2025). The impact of algorithm awareness on the acceptance of personalized social media content recommendation based on the technology acceptance model. Acta Psychologica, 259, 105383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105383 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Hussain, K., Alam, M. M. D., Malik, A., Tarhini, A., & Al Balushi, M. K. (2024). From likes to luggage: The role of social media content in attracting tourists. Heliyon, 10(19), 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e38914 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Jaakkola, E. (2020). Designing conceptual articles: four approaches. AMS Rev 10, 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13162-020-00161-0 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Jeong, Y., & Kim, S. (2020). A study of event quality, destination image, perceived value, tourist satisfaction, and destination loyalty among sport tourists. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 32(4), 940-960. https://doi.org/10.1108/APJML-02-2019-0101 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Kamaluddin, N. N. F., Jailani, S. J. M., Yusoff, S. M., & Akhuan, N. M. (2023). Effects of the tourism information quality in social media in generating destination brand awareness among youth. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 8(9), 10.47405/mjssh.v8i9.2522 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Keelson, S. A., Bruce, E., Egala, S. B., Amoah, J., & Bashiru Jibril, A. (2024). Driving forces of social media and its impact on tourists’ destination decisions: a uses and gratification theory. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2318878 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Krishna, A. (2012). An integrative review of sensory marketing: Engaging the senses to affect perception, judgment and behavior. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 22(3), 332-351. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcps.2011.08.003 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Latip, M. S. A., Tumin, S. A., Trupp, A., & Hamali, A. S. (2024). Social media, destination framing and its impact on culinary heritage tourism from the traveller's perspective. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 9(30), 153-159. https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v9i30.6193 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Lima, R. T., Durão, A. F., Guimarães, J. C. F. d., Perinotto, A. R. C., & Silva, N. P. d. (2025). The digital extended self of influencers: A case study of a travel channel. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(5), 262. https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6050262 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Liu, J., Wang, C., & Zhang, T. C. (2024). Exploring social media affordances in tourist destination image formation: A study on China’s rural tourism destination. Tourism Management, 101, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2023.104843 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Mandagi, D. W., Indrajit, I., & Wulyatiningsih, T. (2024). Navigating digital horizons: A systematic review of social media’s role in destination branding. Journal of Enterprise and Development (JED), 6(2), 373389. https://doi.org/10.20414/jed.v6i2.10075 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Martins, W. S., Martins, M., & Morais, E. P. (2025). Exploring the influence of social media on tourist decision-making: Insights from Cape Verde. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010045 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. McQuarrie, E. F., & Mick, D. G. (1999). Visual rhetoric in advertising: Text-interpretive, experimental, and reader-response analyses. Journal of Consumer Research, 26(1), 37-54. https://doi.org/10.1086/209549 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Moura, A. A., Mira, M. D. R., & Teixeira, A. R. (2025). The tourist gastronomic experience: Ties between young foodies’ motivation and destination development in Portugal. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(1), https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6010007 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Nguyen, M. N., Hoang, V. H., Nguyen, P. B., & Le, Q. N. H. (2025). The relationship between electronic word of mouth, destination images, travel intention and information on Covid: Case of Da Nang. Acta psychologica, 261, 105878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105878 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Park, E., & Widyanta, A. (2022). Food tourism experience and changing destination foodscape: An exploratory study of an emerging food destination. Tourism Management Perspectives, 42, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2022.100964 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Qi,X. (2025). Algorithmic gatekeepers: How short-video platforms shape artistic creativity and visibility. Available at SSRN 5190109. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5190109 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Richards, G. (2015). Evolving gastronomic experiences: From food to foodies to foodscapes. Gastronomy and Tourism, 1(1), 5-17. https://doi.org/10.3727/216929715X14298190828796 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Rozaq, M., Dianita, I. A., Wisudawaty, H., & Adim, A. K. (2025). Affordances of short video platforms and SME digital communication innovation: The mediating role of the innovation-decision process. Frontiers in Communication, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1660358 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Saini, H., Kumar, P., & Oberoi, S. (2023). Welcome to the destination! Social media influencers as cogent determinant of travel decision: A systematic literature review and conceptual framework. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2240055 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Scott, L. M. (1994). Images in advertising: The need for a theory of visual rhetoric. Journal of Consumer Research, 21(2), 252-273. https://doi.org/10.1086/209396 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Silitonga, P., Juliana, J., Rini, G. P., & Sitohang, A. P. S. (2025). Unveiling the outcome of the implementation of experiential value co-creation on the behavioral intention of online travelers. Tourism and Hospitality, 6(3), https://doi.org/10.3390/tourhosp6030157 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Sujatmiko, S., Ar, D. P., Hamdat, A., & Salam, K. N. (2025). User-Generated Content (UGC) and Its Impact on Tourism Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review. Golden Ratio of Mapping Idea and Literature Format, 5(2), 97-105. https://doi.org/10.52970/grmilf.v5i2.1491 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Sutrisno, R., Rafdinal, W., Septyandi, C. B., Gaffar, M. R., & Susanto, E. (2024). Disentangling digital influences on tourist behavior: The role of trust and destination image in the social media era. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Travel Management, 2(2), 129-142. 10.58229/jthtm.v2i2.318 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Treem, J. W., & Leonardi, P. M. (2013). Social media use in organizations: Exploring the affordances of visibility, editability, persistence, and association. Annals of the International Communication Association, 36(1), 143-189. https://doi.org/10.1080/23808985.2013.11679130 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Ukpabi, D. C., & Karjaluoto, H. (2018). What drives travelers' adoption of user-generated content? A literature review. Tourism Management Perspectives, 28, 251-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.03.006 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Vu, D. T., Le, T. M., Nguyen, T. H., & Nguyen, T. M. (2025, April). The impact of social media marketing on cognitive and affective destination image toward intention to visit cultural destinations in Vietnam. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Emerging Challenges: Sustainable Strategies in the DataDriven Economy (ICECH 2024) (Vol. 320, p. 300). Springer Nature. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Wang, H., & Yan, J. (2022). Effects of social media tourism information quality on destination travel intention: Mediation effect of self-congruity and trust. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1049149 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Widaningsih, T. T., & Putranto, A. (2025). Digital tourism communication: effects of influencer credibility, content quality, and e-WoM on emotions, FoMO, self-identification, and visit intentions of Gen Z travelers. Frontiers in Communication, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1717937 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Xiang, Z., Du, Q., Ma, Y., & Fan, W. (2017). A comparative analysis of major online review platforms: Implications for social media analytics in hospitality and tourism. Tourism management, 58, 51-65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2016.10.001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Xiao, L., Li, X., & Zhang, Y. (2023). Exploring the factors influencing consumer engagement behavior regarding short-form video advertising: A big data perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 70, 10.1016/j.jretconser.2022.103170 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Zhao, J., Wang, Y., Liu, S., Li, J., & Wang, Q. (2024). Does social media make tourists more like special forces? The impact of supportive communication on generation z’s intention to engage in special forcesstyle tourism. Sustainability, 16(22), https://doi.org/10.3390/su162210033 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. Zhou, M., & Wang, X. (2024). An analysis of the relationship linking immersive tourism experiencescape and emotional experience to tourists’ behavioral intentions. Sustainability, 16(17), https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177598 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• A Bibliometric Analysis of Scopus Literature (1987–2024) On Smart Technologies in Hospitality: From Artificial Intelligence to Augmented Reality.
• Gendered Food Environments: Differences in Food Availability and Perceptions Among Malaysian University Students
• Hospitality Inclusive Internship System (HIIS): An Innovative Internship Matching Platform for Person with Disabilities (PWD) Students
• Cultural Preservation Practices of Selected Cultural Sites, Province of Bohol
• ChatGPT and the Future of Travel: Exploring Trust and Adoption of AI-Powered Personalized Recommendations