Effect of Restaurant Attributes on Tourism Satisfaction and Loyalty: Local Gastronomy in Athens

A destination’s local gastronomy is gradually acknowledged as a significant resource contributing to the tourist’s contentment. In this frame, gaining an understanding of the restaurant attributes that influence the way tourists experience the region’s cuisine is particularly important for improving the level of satisfaction and loyalty of the visitors to the destination. Toward this direction, the present research was conducted on international travelers in Athens utilizing statistical techniques, and the information was gathered by using a self-administered questionnaire. The results presented that “Local Food and Service” and “Socializing” were, accordingly, the most important attributes for the satisfaction and loyalty of international visitors. They also suggest that restaurants may benefit by focusing on specific attributes to differentiate from the competition and enhance the destination. The study’s results can contribute to policymakers and practitioners in the tourism sector. This was one of the first studies to research the impact of restaurant attributes with local gastronomy on the satisfaction and loyalty of international tourists in Athens.