The Effect of Local Food on Local Experience with the Mediating Role of Perceptual Benefits of Tourists among Tourists in Rasht

The aim of this study was to study the effect of local food on the experience of tourists by mediating role of perceived benefits of tourism. Identifying the diversity of local food tourism and its impact on the experience of tourists was one of the main motivations for this study. The present study is an applied research in terms of its purpose, and is a descriptive one in terms of its method and nature. After setting the goals and questions of the research, a questionnaire consisting of 21 questions was prepared and distributed among the participants of the study. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to calculate the reliability of the questionnaire which was shown to be very high. The statistical population of the study included all tourists who visited the city of Rasht in 1399. Due to these customers’ uncertainty and based on Cochran's formula at the level of 5% error, 384 people were selected as the sample of the study. The sampling method was random. To analyze the collected data and to determine the relationship between the variables of the study, structural equation modeling technique was used. Also, the obtained data were analyzed using the SPSS and SMART PLS statistical software. The results showed that local food has a significant and positive effect on the experience of tourists by mediating the perceptual benefits of them. Local food has a significant and positive effect on the perceptual benefits of tourism; it has a significant and positive effect on the experience of tourists. Lastly, perceptual interests of tourists have a significant and positive effect on the experience of them.