A culinary heritage of Hatay as a value for the future: Theapplicability of gastronomy museums in Hatay and their role in tourism

The primary aim of this study is to determine the perception levels of the local community and the opinions of tourism stakeholders regarding the proposal for a gastronomy museum in Hatay. The secondary objectives of the study are to design a gastronomy museum for Hatay, identify the strengths of Hatay's gastronomy potential, and contribute to its recognition in the field of gastronomy. A questionnaire and a semi-structured interview form were used as data collection tools in the research. The questionnaire was administered to 418 participants from the local community, while the semi-structured interview form was conducted with 20 tourism stakeholders. The primary data collected were analyzed using statistical software for quantitative analysis. The findings indicate that the local community generally has a positive outlook on the proposal for a gastronomy museum in Hatay. The qualitative data obtained from the research were analyzed using content analysis. According to the results of the qualitative research, tourism stakeholders have positive perceptions of the gastronomy museum proposal. Moreover, based on these findings and secondary sources, a SWOT analysis was conducted. The results of the SWOT analysis revealed that Hatay's gastronomy potential, cultural assets, and sustainability vision strongly support the gastronomy museum proposal. The study concluded that the proposed gastronomy museum in Hatay should be located in a historic building and include interactive activities such as food tastings, cooking classes, and other engaging events.