عوامل تاثیرگذار بر رضایتمندی گردشگران از غذای محلی در مناطق روستایی شهرستان شوشتر

A B S T R A C T
This research was conducted with the general purpose of analyzing the factors affecting the tourists’ satisfaction in rural areas with local food. The statistical population of the research included all tourists in the rural areas of Shushtar County. The Karjesi and Morgan table selected four hundred rural tourists for study. The main research tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was done in two sections of descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS software. The results of the correlation coefficient showed that there is a significant relationship between the variables of cultural experience, emotional factors, sensory appeal, health concerns, attitude towards local food, mental norms, interpersonal factors, self-efficacy, and attachment to local food with tourists' satisfaction. Meanwhile, no statistically significant relationship was found between the satisfaction of local food and the variables of age, income, family size, education, gender, occupation and food neophobia. The results of the regression coefficient showed that the five variables of attitude towards local food, subjective norm, self-efficacy, health risks, and attachment to local food could explain 70.5% of the changes in the dependent variable of the research, i.e., tourists' satisfaction with local food.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Over the past decades, food tourism has become as a dominant trend in global traveler’s interest. More than one-third of tourism expenditures are spent on food. Previous research has confirmed that food and dining are major elements considered by tourists when traveling and choosing destinations. Food is a major component of a travel experience, and it is a part of travel activities. Tourists eat the local cuisine in a tourism destination to fulfill their travel experiences. Travelers acquire new knowledge and understanding of the traditional local and regional culture of a destination, which are valuable in relation to destination image and future tourist intention. Accordingly, several tourism destinations have emphasized food activities and created gastronomic/culinary experiences to attract international visitors. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the preferences and behavioral intentions of rural tourists to use local food in rural Iranian areas. Food tourism focuses on cultural issues, and in addition to creating memorable memories for travelers, it can help the economy of small sections of society, especially the rural society of Iran. Food tourism represents an opportunity to revive and diversify tourism. In addition, they cause local economic development and lead to job creation. For this reason, food tourism can play a role in branding and increasing demand for tourist destinations while also preserving local traditions and the diversity of communities. In addition, it brings credit and other rewards to different regions. Food tourism is not only a phenomenon rooted in traditions but is also shaped by future influences. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors affecting tourists’ satisfaction, and by knowing the important factors, prepare a basic plan for the expansion of local food. In this context, this research was conducted to identify factors influencing tourists’ satisfaction regarding the use of local food in Shushtar city, located in Khuzestan province.
 
Methodology
The research's statistical population included all tourists in the rural areas of Shushtar County. 400 rural tourists were selected for the study using the Karjesi and Morgan table. The main research tool was a questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Data analysis was done using SPSS software in two sections as descriptive and inferential statistics.
 
Results and discussion
Food tourism in rural areas, focusing on cultural issues and creating memorable memories for travelers, can help the economy of small sections of society, especially the rural society of Iran. Food tourism represents an opportunity to revive tourism and diversify it. They also contribute to local economic development and generate job opportunities. For this reason, food tourism can play a role in branding and increasing demand for tourist destinations while preserving local traditions and the diversity of communities. In addition, it brings credit and other rewards to different regions. In addition, it should be known that food tourism is not only a phenomenon that belongs to past traditions but is also influenced by the future. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors affecting tourists’ satisfaction, and by knowing the important factors, prepare a basic plan for the expansion of local food in the field of tourism. The results of the regression coefficients showed that the five variables of attitude towards local food, subjective norm, self-efficacy, health risks, and attachment have a positive and significant effect on the dependent variable of the research, i.e., tourists' satisfaction with local food in the rural areas of Shushtar.
The correlation coefficient results showed a significant relationship between the variables of cultural experience, emotional factors, sensory appeal, health concerns, attitude towards local food, mental norms, interpersonal factors, self-efficacy, and attachment to local food with tourists' satisfaction. Meanwhile, no statistically significant relationship was found between the satisfaction of local food and the variables of age, income, family size, education, gender, occupation, and food neophobia. The results of the regression coefficient showed that the five variables of attitude towards local food, subjective norm, self-efficacy, health risks, and attachment to local food could explain 70.5% of the changes in the dependent variable of the research, i.e., tourists' satisfaction with local food.
 
Conclusion
This research shows that local foods are more cultural and sensory attractions with unique features that can provide an exciting experience for tourists. In addition, due to the fact that local food is cooked in places that are safe from the point of view of health, tourists can visit places where food is cooked, which ultimately makes them afraid. They want to avoid trying and tasting new foods in this region; in addition, having a unique culture and variety of foods has caused much attachment among tourists to these regions, and they travel to Khuzestan province every year.
 
Funding
There is no funding support.
 
Authors’ Contribution
Zeinab Hemtian: Researcher, interviewing and gathering views, data analysis.
Moslem Savari: Guide to the work, preparing the first draft of the article, reviewing previous studies, data validation.
Masoud Yazdanpanah: Consultant for the work, editing the text of the article.
 
Conflict of Interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
 
Acknowledgements
This article is extracted from the master's thesis of rural development, Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. Thereby we declare our appreciation for their help.