Factors Moderating and Mediating Visitors' Perceptions About Local Foods in Tanzania

Although Tanzania is well known for the quality of its natural and cultural resources, its food tourism linkages has largely remained unknown and unexplored. In recent years, the use of local foods in tourism has grown considerably and has become one of the most dynamic and creative segments of the tourism industry in the world. Most studies on food tourism networks have focused on the economic, environmental, and sociocultural impacts, while relatively little research has examined factors moderating and mediating international visitors' perceptions on local foods in destinations they visit. The study population consisted of international tourists departing from Kilimanjaro International Airport ( n = ;520, response rate = 1;88.8%). Data were analyzed using general linear model (GLM) univariate from SPSS software and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The results demonstrated that knowledge on sustainability mediate the relationships between visitors' education and total perception about local foods in Tanzania. Further results illustrated that gender of the respondents moderate the relationship between individuals' income and their total perception about local foods in Tanzania. This research not only highlights some key factors regarding perception of local foods but may also help explore how existing policy options should be polished to encourage food tourism linkages.