Authenticity and Social Media in Finnish Culinary Tourism: Impacts on Satisfaction, Sharing Behaviour, and Revisit Intention

Abstract

This study investigates if tourists' perceptions of the authenticity of Finnish cuisine influence their feelings, conversations, and revisit intentions. To determine both visitor satisfaction and social media sharing have an impact on the intention to return, it emphasizes on three outcomes: intention to return, social media sharing, and tourist satisfaction. 117 valid answers to an open-ended online survey were obtained from foreign tourists who had tasted Finnish cuisine whiletraveling. The SPSS software was used to analyse the items. Following the scales' effective use, correlations and regressions were used to analyse the links, and Hayes’ PROCESS was used to test the mediation hypotheses. For analysis, the measurement model proved suitable. The findings were clear that authenticity is linked to greater levels of sharing and enjoyment, which in turn indicate the intention to return. Mediation tests reveal that while a positive immediate influence persists, satisfaction and sharing each partially transmit authenticity's impact on revisit intention. In Simple terms, having authentic dining experiences makes people happier about their vacation and gives them moments to share on social media, which helps to explain why tourists want to return. The study provides data from Finland by comparing social media sharing and satisfaction as mediators of gastronomic loyalty. Practically speaking, to boost eWOM and promote return visits, locations and providers should emphasize reliable authenticity indicators (the seasons, vendors, and tales) and make sharing effortless (via images, videos, tagging).