The Importance of Regional Cuisine in Tourism Marketing with a Case Study: Hatay Cuisine

Abstract

With its rich content and cultural features, Turkish cuisine is very important for tourism
industry. It is a known fact that tourists would like to know more about culinary culture of
the countries they are visiting. In recent years, the importance of culinary heritage of a
region was discovered and has been started to be used in tourism marketing. During past
years, tourism has been esteemed its deserved value and various studies were conducted
on it. It is possible to find different types of dishes in Turkish cuisine due to regional
differences. Regional climatic factors and types of grown fruits and vegetables influence
that region's culinary culture and variety of choices. This condition has helped the concept
of regional cuisine to be developed. This study investigates the cuisine from Hatay, which
is an important region for tourism for both its natural beauties and rich culture. Local
dishes were exemplified in this study. It is also expected that this study would draw
attention to local dishes to contribute to growth of tourism in the region.