AI-Powered Digital Nudging in Sustainable Gastronomic Tourism: Exploring Tourists’ Intentions to Choose Local Food

Research on artificial intelligence (AI) in tourism often emphasizes personalization and trust while overlooking how AI-generated recommendations direct tourists’ attention toward specific alternatives. This study examines the relationships between perceived AI-powered digital nudging, personalization, trust, and tourists’ evaluations and intentions regarding local food. Survey data from 390 tourists visiting rural and mountain destinations in Serbia were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate that perceived AI-powered digital nudging is positively associated with perceived local food value and local food choice intention, whereas personalization shows no statistically significant relationship with perceived local food value. Trust is positively associated with choice intention but not significantly associated with perceived local food value. The relationship between digital nudging and environmental awareness is positive but weak. This study demonstrates that the perceived attention-directing role of AI recommendations represents a distinct dimension of gastronomic decision-making, suggesting that encouraging local food choices requires more than personalized recommendations alone.