Vendor Competency, Perceived Food Safety, and the Novelty-Seeking Paradox in Bangkok Street Food Tourism

Abstract

This study examines the structural relationships among vendor competency, perceived sanitation and safety, high-value gastronomy experiences, and behavioral intentions in Bangkok’s street food tourism. Using survey data and PLS-SEM, the results indicate that vendor competency significantly enhances both perceived sanitation and safety and high-value gastronomy experiences. Perceived sanitation and safety further strengthens experiential value and partially mediates this relationship. However, contrary to conventional expectations, high-value gastronomy experiences exhibit a significant negative effect on behavioral intentions, suggesting a novelty-seeking paradox in exploratory tourism contexts. This study contributes in three ways: (1) by positioning vendor competency as a foundational driver of experiential value in informal food settings, (2) by integrating sanitation and safety into experiential value formation, and (3) by challenging the linear satisfaction–loyalty assumption through evidence of paradoxical tourist behavior. The findings offer theoretical and managerial implications for gastronomy tourism and destination management.