ABSTRACT
Food and tourism studies that have been focused on tourist and visitor behaviour at food events are limited, mainly because research on food-and beverage-related festivals is at its formation stage and studies that research consumers' attitudes and behaviours towards food festivals in tourism destinations are at an embryonic level. This chapter bridges the existing gap between consumer behaviour studies, food research and tourism studies. It considers the motives for visiting slow food festivals (SFFs) in rural destinations and explores how are these motives conceptualised into post-consumption experiences such as satisfaction and intention to revisit. In developed countries, SFFs are a growing phenomenon. The hosting of SFFs in rural tourism destinations could attract high-end tourist arrivals who are willing not only to pay more but also to extend their length of stay. The staging of food festivals presents consumers with an authentic lifestyle experience in a tourism destination.
