Investigating the perceptions of locals and visitors towards affective food belonging, gastronomy image and attitudes within the framework of intangible cultural heritage: The case of Afyonkarahisar

The primary purpose of this research is to investigate the affective food belonging, perceptions of gastronomy image, and attitudes towards the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of local people and visitors in order to protect the local food culture of Afyonkarahisar province and develop gastronomic tourism. The research population consists of local people and visitors who purchase Turkish delight and Afyon cream, which are the ICH elements of Afyonkarahisar province. In addition, the repurchase intentions of local people and visitors towards the related elements were also determined. The purposive sampling method of non-probability sampling was used in the research. The questionnaire technique was used as the data collection method in the research. Between December 2020 and May 2021, 412 questionnaires were administered to locals, and 395 questionnaires were administered to visitors, totaling 807. The relevant variables in the research were analyzed separately within the two models of data obtained from local people and visitors. The data obtained were analyzed using Smart PLS statistical software, and structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. According to the research results, in both models (Model I and Model II), it was found that affective food belonging has a significant positive effect on gastronomy image, and gastronomy image has a significant positive effect on economic, cultural, and social attitudes. In addition, in Model I, cultural, social, and economic attitudes were found to have a positive and significant effect on repurchase intention. In Model II, cultural and economic attitudes have a positive and significant effect on repurchase intention, while social attitudes have no significant effect. Suggestions for industry and academia have been developed from the research findings.