Creating a taste route within the context of gastronomy tourism and determination of tourists' perspectives on experiential tourism: The case of Sinop

Gastronomy tourism is a type of tourism that continues to develop day by day. In recent years, it has been observed that destinations with potential for gastronomy tourism tend to highlight their gastronomic richness. To effectively promote the richness these destinations possess, it is necessary to create gastronomy routes. In order to achieve this, gastronomy routes have been established in many regions of Türkiye. There are not many studies on the creation of a culinary route within the scope of gastronomy tourism specifically in Sinop Province. In this context, Sinop was selected as the research area for this study. The lack of culinary routes specifically in Sinop Province and the absence of academic studies on this subject highlight the importance of this research. In this context, the main objective of the research is to create a culinary route to activate the existing gastronomy potential of Sinop Province and to create a reference source to guide tourists visiting the region within the scope of gastronomy tourism. At the same time, it is also aimed to determine the perspectives of tourists on experiential tourism within the scope of gastronomy tourism. In the data collection process of this research, the semi-structured interview technique, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The data collection process was conducted between December 1, 2024, and February 5, 2025. The research data group consisted of domestic tourists, and interviews were conducted with a total of 67 participants between December 1, 2024, and February 5, 2025. The collected data were analyzed using the descriptive analysis method. A total of 4 gastronomy route proposals have been developed for the gastronomy route of Sinop Province. Due to Sinop Province sharing borders with Samsun, Kastamonu, and Çorum Provinces, 3 gastronomic route proposals have been developed for tourists who travel to Sinop by land from these regions. In addition, 1 gastronomy route proposal has been developed for tourists who arrive by air to the Sinop city center. The starting and ending districts of these routes vary according to the location of arrival. It has also been specified in which districts local dishes can be experienced. It has been observed that some local dishes of the region are available in almost all of the districts within Sinop Province. Examples of such dishes include Sinop mantısı (içli etli hamur, kulak hamuru) Nokul (a pastry made with raisins and walnuts, minced meat, or yogurt), fish and local dishes prepared with various fish, Katlama, Islama, and vegetable-based dishes. However, it has also been observed that some local dishes of the region are on the verge of being forgotten. Based on all these findings, it is necessary to carry out various promotional activities to foster the development of the region's local food culture.