Evaluation of geographically indicated products within the scope of gastronomy festivals: The case of Bodrum Mandarini

In recent years, it is seen that touristic visits to regions where products registered with geographical indications have increased. In addition, gastronomy festivals, where geographically marked products are promoted together with other local products in the region, continue to increase every year. This research aims to reveal the knowledge level of the visitors attending the Bodrum Tangerine Festival about Bodrum Mandarin, the only geographical indication product of Bodrum, the concept of geographical indication and the geographical indication products of Muğla, and the effect of the Bodrum Tangerine Festival on their intention to visit Bodrum. has been made. The fact that no research has been done on this subject before in Muğla province and Bodrum district is important in terms of guiding future studies and contributing to the literature. Within the scope of the research, the participants; There were expressions to learn about geographical indication knowledge level, festival satisfaction, festival experience satisfaction, and their intention to visit Bodrum and Bodrum Tangerine Festival again. In the research, using the convenience sampling method, one of the non-probability sampling methods, a questionnaire form was applied to the volunteers who participated in the Bodrum Tangerine Festival in January 2022, and the answers were analyzed with statistical methods. As a result of the data analysis, it was determined that the knowledge level of the participants of the Bodrum Tangerine Festival about the concept of geographical indication is directly proportional to the festival satisfaction and the intention to visit Bodrum and the festival again; It has been concluded that as the level of geographical indication knowledge increases, festival satisfaction and intention to revisit the destination increase at the same rate. However, it was concluded that Bodrum Mandarini, the only geographically marked product of Bodrum, and Bodrum Tangerine Festival did not have a strong effect on the participants' visit to Bodrum. In addition, it has been concluded that Muğla and Bodrum have rich gastronomic potential in terms of geographically indicated products, but the geographically indicated products of these destinations are not sufficiently recognized. In this direction, it is thought that the geographically marked products of the region should be included in the hotels, restaurants and other touristic establishments in Muğla and Bodrum and that visitors should have the opportunity to taste and experience these products.