The relationship of the slow food movement with the sustainability of gastronomy tourism: The case of Foça

The ease of movement brought about by globalization causes the places to resemble each other and the originality to disappear. This also applies to food. The Slow Food Movement, which is against the negative aspects of globalization, was initiated in Italy in 1986 and develops projects for the protection of cultural values, local foods and biodiversity, awareness of the consumer, production of foods that are not harmful to the environment and human health, and protection of small and local producers. One of the projects carried out in this context is Earth Market in Foça. Foça is a coastal district that has hosted different civilizations. It has both gastronomic and culturally rich values but welcomes tourists only in summer. Gastronomy tourism, which is an alternative type of tourism, is of great importance for the spread of tourism throughout the year. Gastronomy tourism has become more widespread in recent years. Especially a group of tourists, who care about cultural values and wonder about originality, has formed. Although it is one of the Slow Food projects for local foods in Foça, which has a gastronomic richness, gastronomic tourism has not developed in general. Until now, Foça has been known for its fish, but other local foods and beverages that are unique to this district have remained in the background and some of them have been forgotten. This study aimed to determine the Slow Food Movement's relationship with sustainable gastronomic tourism in Foça. In line with this goal, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the Slow Food stakeholders in Foça and the data reached were subjected to descriptive analysis. The views of partners on the concept of Slow Food were determined and evaluated. To summarize, if Slow Food's projects, which carry out activities for the preservation and recycling of local food faced with the risk of loss, can be carried out adequately in Foça, this will enable the development of sustainable gastronomy tourism. In addition, it can be said that the Slow Food Movement contributes significantly to local economies and adds value to sustainable gastronomy tourism. The Slow Food Movement can contribute to the development of sustainable gastronomy tourism and to the success of Foça, which has a rural location when considered as alternative approaches. Keywords: Slow Food, Sustainability, Sustainable Gastronomy Tourism