Factors affecting tourists' satisfaction with local food in rural areas of Shushtar County

This research was conducted with the general purpose of analyzing the factors affecting the satisfaction of tourists in rural areas with local food. The statistical population of the research included all tourists in the rural areas of Shushtar County. 400 rural tourists were selected for study by using 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 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. You have 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.

This research was conducted with the general purpose of analyzing the factors affecting the satisfaction of tourists in rural areas with local food. The statistical population of the research included all tourists in the rural areas of Shushtar County. 400 rural tourists were selected for study by using 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 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. You have 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.

Keywords: Local food, rural tourism, tourist satisfaction, food attachment, rural areas

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 fulfil 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. Therefore this study was conducted with the general aim of preferences and behavioral intention of rural tourists to use local food in Iranian rural areas.
Food tourism focusing on cultural issues, in addition to creating a memorable memory for travelers, 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 also brings credit and other rewards for different regions. In addition, it should be known that food tourism is not a phenomenon that only belongs to the traditions of the past, but is also influenced by the future. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the factors affecting the satisfaction of tourists, and by knowing the important factors, prepare a basic plan for the expansion of local food. In this regard, this research was conducted with the aim of factors influencing the satisfaction of tourists to use local food in Shushtar city in Khuzestan province.
Materials and methods
The statistical population of the research included all tourists in the rural areas of Shushtar County. 400 rural tourists were selected for study by using 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 in two sections of descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS software.
Results
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. you have 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.