Why Do Tourists Visit the Food Market? A Host–Guest Sharing Model Based on the Theory of Self-Regulation

Shiran Lin, He Zhu (), Jiaming Liu, Fengjiao Li and Chenrouyu Zheng
Additional contact information
Shiran Lin: Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
He Zhu: Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Jiaming Liu: Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Fengjiao Li: School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Chenrouyu Zheng: Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-37

Abstract: The transformation of traditional food markets into urban tourism destinations has garnered increasing attention, yet the mechanisms driving tourist motivations remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by proposing a host–guest sharing model grounded in the Theory of Self-Regulation (TSR). Employing a mixed-methods approach, we first conducted grounded theory analysis on 358,700 words of travelogues, identifying six TSR-based constructs: host–guest sharing, sense of place, behavior attitude, desire, subjective norms, and behavioral intention. These constructs were then validated through structural equation modeling (SEM) using survey data from 416 tourists. Results indicate that host–guest sharing (β = 0.925) and sense of place (β = 0.947) are the primary drivers of tourist intention, mediated by behavior attitude (β = 0.662) and desire (β = 0.861). Subjective norms (β = 0.724) further reinforce intention formation. The findings highlight the centrality of authentic cultural experiences and resident–tourist interactions in shaping food market tourism. This research extends the TSR framework by integrating geographical and psychological perspectives and offering actionable insights for urban planners to enhance food markets as sustainable tourism attractions through improved service quality, cultural storytelling, and equitable space design.

Keywords: food market; grounded theory; host–guest sharing; structural equation modeling; the theory of self-regulation; urban tourism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/407/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/2/407/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:2:p:407-:d:1592206

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

More articles in Land from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().