Slow Food: A Research on The Evaluation of Satisfaction Levels of Şile Earth Market’s Visitors

Abstract

The Slow Food philosophy that emerged from the International Slow Movement contains an international network for the preservation of local producers and the maintenance of traditional flavors. The Earth Markets that emerged as part of the Slow Food philosophy are confronted as social meeting spaces that have adopted the principles of slow food and bring together producers and consumers. In addition, the Earth Markets contribute to the promotion of destinations, economic development and sustainable tourism. The aim of this research is to evaluate the level of satisfaction of visitors to Şile Earth Market. The most important factor in the selection of Şile destination is İstanbul's first market, Turkey's third market. Quantitative research methods were used in the research. Questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Data collected from 402 visitors related to the study and the obtained data were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 package program. Descriptive statistics were used in the evaluation of the data. According to the results of the analysis, it has been found that Şile Earth Market visitors is generally satisfied with the characteristics of the products, the physical sufficiency of the market and the personnel overall. It can be suggested that the results of the research will guide the institutions and organizations responsible for the marketing and management of destinations within the scope of the earth markets (governorships, municipalities, tourism enterprises, etc.) and literature.