Do SARS-CoV-2 safety measures affect visitors experience of traditional gastronomy, destination image and loyalty to a World Heritage City?

Abstract

Sars-Cov-2 paralyzed tourism, which only began to recover after the vaccine roll-out. This study investigates loyalty to a city based on the perception of COVID safety measures in traditional restaurants. To test eight hypotheses, the PLS-SEM method was applied to a sample of 154 tourists who visited Córdoba (Spain) for the traditional cuisine. Results show that visitors' perception of restaurants’ COVID safety measures affects their satisfaction with the restaurant and local cuisine, their general image of this World Heritage city, and their loyalty to it. Thus, appropriate coronavirus risk management can help ensure that visitors recommend and revisit the city.