Investigate The Influence Of Authentic Local Food Images On Tourists’ Satisfaction In Terms Of Food Tourism In Vietnam

Abstract

Food tourism is strongly developed in most countries around the world, especially in Vietnam. The post-period after the serious pandemic is a good period for reserving tourism which is one of the primary industries in Vietnam. Vietnam is branding itself through easier tourism policies and regulations to attract people. Local food is a main part of their promotion to push tourism to increase. In another way, local dishes are the most effective way for Vietnam to attract tourists. Because local food is considered a symbol of a country. Local dishes can reflect the culture and lifestyle of the people there. From that, it can be concluded that the dish has a certain influence on the tourist destination and the customer's preferences. External variables that promote an appealing food image will impact travelers, who will therefore be satisfied with the perception of food in particular and Vietnam tourism in general. The three characteristics of food images - dining and atmosphere, variety and enjoyment of food, and food quality and presentation - significantly affect tourists' satisfaction with local Vietnamese cuisine, and intentions to return or optimistic recommendations to others are discussed in this article. The study also provides a survey to collect practical data from tourists in Vietnam about how their evaluation of the factors of mentioned three attributes affects their satisfaction and intentions of their word of mouth or revisit to Vietnam. From there, the study shows the close association between food image, tourists' satisfaction when enjoying local food, and their behavioral intention after enjoying those dishes. It also gives an overview of how satisfaction can be increased or decreased by food in the whole of Vietnam, from which, it is possible to review and select the necessary factors to apply in certain localities which are famous for tourism to promote their local food to tourists.