A study on the impact of gastronomy tourism experience on the behavioral intentions of visitors and the attitudes of local administrators: The case of Kastamonu

The aim of the study is to examine the gastronomy tourism in Kastamonu province in terms of visitor views and destination managers in a two-sided way. Mixed method was used in the research. Therefore, there are two different population and sample groups. The primary population of the research is the tourists visiting Kastamonu, and the secondary population is the managers and local managers of food and beverage establishments in Kastamonu. The data were collected between March-August 2023. SPSS statistical program was used to test the hypotheses and regression analysis was used to analyze the data. According to the results of this analysis, it was determined that perceived gastronomy tourism experience has significant and positive effects on attitude towards behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control and behavioral intention variables. When the interaction between the variables that constitute the Theory of Planned Behavior is examined, it can be said that attitude towards behavior, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control have a significant and positive effect on behavioral intention. Based on these results, a semi- structured form was created and interviews were conducted with 49 participants. As a result of the interviews, the importance of developing the local, natural and cultural was emphasized. It was emphasized that destination managers should focus on their areas of expertise in order to provide visitors with better experiences. Sectoral and academic suggestions were developed. KEYWORDS: Behavioral Intention, Gastronomy, Kastamonu, Tourism and Tourist.