Analysis of gastronomy image of Cappadocia from the perspective of tourists: Repertory Grid interview technique approach

Due to the increasing understanding of the importance of the tourism sector and its rapid development as an industry, competitive conditions have reached a challenging level. In these competitive conditions, destinations that can differentiate their products and develop new and unique offerings can gain an advantage over their competitors by creating a distinct edge. Gastronomy tourism is one of the most important tools that can be used to gain this advantage. Every destination's cuisine, enriched with its own culture, is playing a leading role in guest satisfaction by offering unique experiences compared to competitors. Furthermore, destinations with a well-developed gastronomic image gain a significant advantage in terms of brand value. With this importance in mind, a literature review was conducted to identify the regional dishes of the Cappadocia Region in order to determine its gastronomic image. Therefore, the first part of the study consists of introducing the region's local food and beverages and explaining the concepts of tourism, image, and gastronomy. Subsequently, using the repertory grid technique, interviews were conducted with domestic and foreign tourists visiting the region to gather in-depth information on the gastronomic image of the region from the tourists' perspective. By applying this method, averages of the obtained data were calculated and reach certain conclusions. These conclusions, along with some recommendations developed based on them, are presented in the second part of the study. Subsequently, to understand which of these dishes are offered to tourists, the menus of restaurants operating in the region were examined. Here, with a geographical limitation, the menus of tourist restaurants within the central Cappadocia area, specifically in the Nevşehir province (Göreme, Avanos, Ürgüp, Uçhisar), were reviewed. Thus, an attempt was made to determine how the gastronomic image of the Cappadocia Region is perceived through the eyes of visiting guests. Based on the obtained data, some recommendations were made to industry representatives, stakeholders, and future researchers who will work on these topics.