From the plate to place: ethnic culinary authenticity and pathways to destination loyalty

This study examines how cultural authenticity perception in ethnic cuisine (CAPEC) influences memorable ethnic tourism experiences (METEs) and destination loyalty in ethnic tourism. Extending prior research that focuses merely on surface authenticity cues, this study centres on the deeper cultural meaning embedded in ethnic cuisine and draws on Symbolic Interactionism Theory and the relational authenticity perspective to explain this process. Based on online survey data from 453 Chinese tourists and structural equation modelling, the findings show that CAPEC fosters ethnic cultural cognition, ethnic cultural attachment, and ethnic cultural resonance, which in turn enhance METEs and destination loyalty. This study contributes to authenticity research in ethnic tourism by clarifying the psychological process through which ethnic cuisine authenticity shapes memorable experiences and loyalty.