Service Quality and Tourist Satisfaction: An Empirical Study of Traditional Food Experiences in Uttarakhand

According to the findings, there is always a high potential of food tourism in Uttarakhand to become a catalyst of regional development by conserving and promoting its unique traditional food (Ahlawat et al., 2019; Gopal and Kusum, 2022). This does not only improve the tourist experience by providing them with the authentic culinary experience, but also strengthens local communities, especially because the program would also bring rural youth into the sustained food structures (Rana & Bisht, 2023). The research discloses that different service quality dimensions have a strong influence on tourist satisfaction in traditional food in Uttarakhand. Factor analysis confirmed the measurement model was stable and the reliability coefficients were high, indicating that it is possible to consistently measure Tangibility, Assurance, Empathy, Reliability, Responsiveness, and Customer Satisfaction. The six constituents are joint indicators of how well the tourists perceive the given framework. The results of path analysis showed that Reliability, Responsiveness and Empathy were the strongest predictors of satisfaction, reaffirming the significance of reliable service, timely assistance and the staff’s ability to develop personal and cultural relations as these are considered as a primary factor in the offering a positive dining experience. On the other hand, Tangibility and Assurance, while positively perceived, were not a significant direct predictor of satisfaction, suggesting that atmosphere, amenities and security are less important than relational and experiential elements. To sum up, these results highlight that tourist satisfaction is more based on authenticity, involvement in the culture and interpersonal service quality, rather than just on materiality. For practitioners, this serves as a warning to ensure adequate investment in staff training, responsiveness, and cultural sensitivity, and for policy makers, it suggests traditional culinary experiences can be positioned as a cultural strength to enhance the tourism appeal of Uttarakhand by focusing on the service quality dimensions that best resonate with visitors. Future Perspectives

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