Driving Gastronomic Tourism: A Structural Model of Revisit Intentions for Michelin-Starred Restaurants in Thailand

Abstract

Michelin-starred restaurants are key assets of Thailand's tourism economy, attracting high-value tourists and shaping the Kingdom's culinary brand. However, the factors driving diner loyalty in this rarefied market segment, which are critical to its long-term economic viability, remain poorly understood. Drawing on data from 560 repeat diners of Thai Michelin-starred restaurants and analyzed using LISREL 9.10, the research constructs an integrated structural equation model (SEM) to examine the effects of integrated digital marketing communication (IDMC), product innovation (PI), and customer satisfaction (CS), on revisit intention (RI). The model demonstrated excellent fit to the data, explaining 70% of the variance in RI. IDMC exerts the strongest total effect (β = 0.78), followed by PI (β = 0.59) and CS (β = 0.42). Findings confirm that CS fulfills a mediating role between the two antecedent constructs and loyalty. Underscoring the importance of both internal and customer-facing areas of capability, the results provide restaurateurs and policymakers with a strategic framework within which to leverage the synergies among best-in-class communication, innovation, and experience delivery as enablers of resilient and luxury gastronomic tourism futures.