Abisola Sokale & Francis Okosodo

Every tourist site has traditional foods associated with it that reflect the cultural identity and legacy of that location. The accessibility of local cuisine offers tourists and local consumers enjoyable and memorable experiences. Tourism destinations compete with one another to promote food tourism, an expanding sector of the economy. Local foods is vital in rural areas for fostering a sense of place, fostering a variety of visitor experiences, and contributing financially to the well-being of the local community. Rural destinations will become more competitive by using local foods to strengthen its sustainability. The study aims to investigate the role of traditional foods in tourists’ satisfaction experience and its effect on the destination image. A structured questionnaire for a field study was developed and self-administered to 60 tourists diners in restaurants that include local food in their cuisine who are within Abeokuta tourist sites (such as hotels, recreational park, tourist centers and historical sites). The results obtained confirm that there is a positive impact of traditional food on tourists experience and this has a positive effect on the destination image, as well as tourists' plans to return to the place in question. According to the results of the analysis, the study recommended theoretical implications to tourism administrators to adopt new approaches to attract tourists to destinations, based on influencing their after-experience contentment with local cuisine. Keywords: Traditional foods, Tourist behavior, Tourist destination, Tourists satisfaction, Cultural 0150