Local Restaurants' Effect on Tourist Experience: A Case from Istanbul

This study aims to employ and validate experience economy theory in local restaurant settings and to understand the dimensions of local restaurant experience from the point of view of tourists. A self-administered structured questionnaire based on the investigation of previous studies was used to collect data from tourists staying in Istanbul. Data were analyzed via exploratory factor analysis to explore different dimensions of the local food experience of tourists. Contrary to the experience economy model, which proposes four dimensions of experience, this research has identified three dimensions, for the local restaurant experience, namely entertainment and esthetics, education, and escapism. Previous research applied experience economy theory in literature, but this research is the first to employ and validate the dimensions of experience for a local restaurant setting. The findings of the study will provide a new perspective to local restaurant managers as well as destinations to manage the experience of foreign travelers.