The Influence of Social Media, Tourist Experience, and Brand Awareness on Culinary Tourism in Lahat Hospitality Industry

Culinary tourism has emerged as a key driver in strengthening destination competitiveness, particularly in regions such as Lahat where authentic local cuisine is central to the visitor experience. This research explores how social media, tourist experiences, and brand awareness contribute to the development of culinary tourism in Lahat’s hospitality sector. A quantitative, explanatory approach was employed, involving 100 respondents selected through purposive sampling. Data were obtained via structured questionnaires distributed both directly at culinary venues and through online platforms, and subsequently analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression with SPSS.The analysis indicates that social media engagement, tourist experience, and brand awareness all exert significant positive effects on culinary tourism. Among these, tourist experience proved to be the strongest predictor, demonstrating the importance of food quality, ambience, and service encounters in shaping visitor satisfaction and loyalty. Social media was found to be effective in influencing travel decisions by showcasing user-generated and visually appealing content, while brand awareness enhanced destination recognition and encouraged word-of-mouth promotion. Together, the three variables accounted for 62% of the variance in culinary tourism outcomes, reflecting their combined influence in shaping tourist behavior and destination appeal.The study enriches the academic discourse by providing empirical evidence from an emerging culinary destination, illustrating how digital interaction, experiential value, and brand identity converge to promote sustainable tourism. From a managerial standpoint, the results emphasize the need for stakeholders to adopt digital storytelling, cultivate authentic culinary experiences, and strengthen Lahat’s gastronomic branding to secure its position as a distinctive culinary tourism destination.