Streaming culture, tasting Korea: A study on the impact of culinary media consumption on gastronomy tourism

This study investigates the role of Korean culinary media in gastronomic tourism, particularly its impact on American consumers’ intentions to visit South Korea. As Korean food-centric content—including mukbang, food vlogs, cooking shows, and K-dramas—gains prominence on global over-the-top (OTT) platforms, its potential to shape cultural perceptions and travel motivations warrants deeper exploration. Grounded in the experiential consumption theory and the uses and gratifications theory, this research examines how K-media exposure fosters emotional engagement, cultural curiosity, food-centric attitudes, and destination image, ultimately influencing travel behavior. A survey of 582 American respondents, analyzed through structural equation modeling (SEM), reveals that media exposure significantly increases emotional engagement and cultural curiosity, which in turn lead to more favorable food-centric attitudes, cognitive and affective destination images, and stronger intentions to visit Korea. The findings emphasize the growing influence of digital culinary media as a form of virtual tourism, bridging cultural gaps and enhancing destination desirability. This study contributes to both media and tourism literature, offering practical insights for destination marketers, tourism boards, and content creators seeking to leverage food narratives as a promotional tool for cultural and gastronomic tourism.