The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Gastronomic Tourism: The Case of Gaziantep

Abstract

The novel coronavirus, which emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019, turned into a major pandemic and spread to many countries, causing the death of many people. With the spread of the virus, social life has almost come to a standstill. The period of a compulsory standstill in social life has carried many sectors to an uncertain period. One of these sectors is the food and beverage sector. Gastronomic establishments, which are significant part of the food and beverage sector, have experienced serious difficulties with the threat of coronavirus. The data were analyzed by content analysis method. In this study, a semi-structured interview technique was used as a data collection tool and content analysis was applied to the obtained data. As a result of this study, it has been determined that the Covid-19 has the most impact on employment and economy in businesses. Consequently, current study is important in order to determine the current situation of gastronomic establishments after the pandemic process, to evaluate the measures which are taken against the crisis and to put forward some suggestions.