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Introduction
The tourism industry has become an important income and job generator for many countries. To attract tourists, it is essential to spread word-of-mouth information about tourist satisfaction relating to particular activities or experiences (Poria et al., 2009) (Babolian Hendijani et al., 2013; Oppermann, 1997). Understanding the behavior of tourists has been a main topic in tourism studies for decades (Cortes-Jimenez, 2008; McIntosh and Thyne, 2005, Woo et al., 2015). The level of satisfaction derived from different activities has been found to have an impact on the intention to revisit a destination (Chen and Tsai, 2007), which could result in higher income generation for the location in question.
Several studies have found that tourists are increasingly interested in searching for new experiences that are derived from exploring the cultures and traditions of a particular destination (Babolian Hendijani et al., 2013; Breakey and Breakey, 2015; Gezici and Kerimoglu, 2010; McKercher et al., 2004). This finding is supported by tourism marketing research highlighting local food choices available at various destinations (Harrington and Ottenbacher, 2010; Lee and Scott, 2015; Smith and Costello, 2009; Wang, 2011). Furthermore, recent studies have indicated that food experiences can be a key factor that affects the level of satisfaction a tourist feels about a destination (Babolian Hendijani et al., 2013; Hall et al., 2003; Kivela and Crotts, 2006; Smith et al., 2010; Westering, 1999). Everett and Aitchison (2008) showed that food experience was the most important factor influencing tourists to revisit England.
Food can play different roles during a trip. Several studies have indicated that food can be a way to experience a new culture and can also be a source of enjoyment (Hall et al., 2003; Kivela and Crotts, 2009; Tse and Crotts, 2005; Zahari et al., 2009). In terms of cultural experience, Cusack (2000) said that food experience is recognized as an expression of identity and culture and is, therefore, an essential part of cultural tourism. In a similar study, Hall et al. (2003) suggested that food is a window into the culture of a destination.
Although evaluating the dining experiences visitors have at tourist destinations is a relatively new field of academic inquiry, a growing body of literature suggests that...