Gastronomical Identity and Image in Destination Brand Formation: The Case of Konya Cuisine

Abstract

Determining inimitable branding elements for destinations has become a necessity owing to a host of reasons including the dynamics of the tourism market, changing demands and expectations of tourists, and the need to sustain competitive edge of tourist destinations. The gastronomical identity and image of a region develops as people associate specific food and beverages with that specific region. Gastronomical identity and image differ from destination to destination, and such differences contributes to the hard to copy, genuine, and symbolic features of destinations. The purpose of this study was to determine the identity and image elements influencing destination brand formation. In this study, in accordance with the gastronomic image model, the relationship between affective gastronomic image, cognitive/perceptual gastronomic image, overall gastronomic image and the effect of overall gastronomic image on the overall destination image were determined. Quantitative means of data collection were utilized in the study. The data collection instrument consisted a gastronomical image perceptions scale and a structured open-ended question form. The target population of the study was tourist who visited Konya Province between on 3th December 2017- 15th August 2018. The participants were gathered through convenience sampling and 404 tourists participated in the study. The data were analyzed employing structural model tests, t-Test and ANOVA. The results indicated that (a) overall gastronomical image had a subsantial effect on destination image, (b) affective image had a subsantial effect on cognitive/perceptual image and overall gastronomical image, and (c) cognitive/perceptual image had a moderate effect on overall gastronomical image. Moreover, the most frequent responses associated with Konya’s gastronomical brand perception were etliekmek (meat bread) and okra soup.