Segmentation based on gastronomic motivations in a coastal destination

The objectives of the present study are: i) to identify the segments of tourism demand, based on gastronomic motivations in coastal destinations, and ii) to find the relationship between demand segments and satisfaction and service variables. The investigation was carried out in General Villamil Playas city, a renowned coastal destination in Ecuador. Factor analysis and the K-means clustering method were used to analyze the data. The findings show three segments: “Enjoyers,” highly motivated to eat typical seafood dishes on the beach. “Survivors,” with low motivations for all variables, and who consider local gastronomy only a means to satisfy a physiological need. The third “Experimenters,” have high motivations for all motivational variables and believe that gastronomy, in general, is very important.