Local people's perception of geographically marked products: The case of Samsun Kaz Tiridi

Increasing demand for gastronomic tourism is also heightened the importance of local food and beverages. Local products are a large part of the indigenous culture and they are a valuable resource to creating a product identity and brand for gastronomic tourism. In order for these valuable resources to be brought to gastronomic tourism without harm, it is necessary to be recognized by the people who dwell in the region, to understand their importance and impact in today's tourism. The aim of this study is to evaluate the perception of local people about gastronomy products which has geographical indications by using the example of Kaz Tiridi to evaluate their attitudes about the level of knowledge about the product and the regional effects of the product and to reveal its place in the current gastronomic culture in Samsun and its importance in gastronomic tourism in the province. The universe of the research consists of 422 randomly selected people aged older than18 years residing in Atakum, Canik, Ilkadim and Canik districts of Samsun province. Demographic and Individual Information Form and a scale form consisting of the dimensions of Gastronomic Perception of the Samsun Region, Kaz Tiridi Knowledge, Regional Effects of Kaz Tiridi were applied to 422 people participating in the study. The effect of the variables included in the Demographic and Individual Information Form on these dimensions was tested. The variables that have a significant effect on all three dimensions are the residence time in Samsun, the level of Kaz Tiridi information and the source of Kaz Tiridi information variables. It was observed that 63% of the participants had been residing in Samsun for more than 20 years; 37.4% of them were knowledgeable about Kaz Tiridi in total and 45% of them mentioned friends or relatives as a source of Kaz Tiridi information.