Local people's perspective on Gaziantep and Hatay's participation in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the field of gastronomy

The phenomenon of originality in the tourism sector aims to bring dynamism in social, economic and environmental terms by supporting the existing cultural identities in a destination and to make this situation sustainable. In this context, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is an important international project aimed at keeping the cultural identities of the cities at the forefront in fields such as gastronomy, crafts, folk arts and literature, and for this purpose, protecting and maintaining local culture. The idea that gastronomy should be evaluated under a theme within the scope of Creative Cities Network and that local cuisines should be protected as a cultural heritage at national and international level has gained considerable importance with economic and cultural developments. In this study, it is aimed to examine the local people's perspective on the participation of Gaziantep and Hatay provinces in the field of gastronomy to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. The expressions in the scale prepared in line with the purpose of the study were directed to the local population in June and October 2020, and as a result of the factor analysis performed on the data of 1108 questionnaires, the data were collected under four dimensions. Hypotheses determined in line with the subject and purpose of the study were tested. While 7 out of 10 hypotheses created on Gaziantep Province were rejected, 3 hypotheses were accepted. While 6 of the 10 hypotheses on the province of Hatay were accepted, 4 hypotheses were rejected. As a result of the analysis conducted within the scope of the study, it was seen that the perception levels of the participants regarding the effects of Gaziantep's participation in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network showed a significant difference between them according to their income levels, their working status in the tourism sector and their communication with tourists. There is a significant difference between the levels of perception regarding the effects of participating in the study, according to age, education, profession, income, residence time, place of birth. In line with the findings and analysis, suggestions are made to stakeholders, the public and researchers.