The Dimension of Food Souvenir: An Exploratory-Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Food souvenirs as the tangible reminder that encounters the travelling experience are considered as an essential element in the tourism industry. However, the studies exploring the dimension of food souvenirs, are limited, and most of them applying single factor analysis, either exploratory or confirmatory. In response to the identified gap, this research scrutinizes the aspects of food souvenirs by utilizing a mixed method of exploratory-confirmatory factor analysis. The data was collected from 252 domestic tourists in Bandung, Indonesia. The exploratory factor analysis test identifies four dimensions of food souvenirs: tangible, brand and packaging, value, food quality. Although confirming the food souvenir dimension, the confirmatory factor analysis notes that the elements of the dimensions are different from that identified in exploratory factor analysis. Besides offering a theoretical understanding on the food souvenirs dimension, this study extends our understanding of a methodological issue that the exploratory-confirmatory factor analysis offers a better explanation on the food souvenir dimension compared to that of single factor analysis.