Investigation the effect of Turkish cuisine image and country image on intention to visit the country

The participation in international travel movements is increasing annually. Although the aim of participation in travel movements is different, it is known that the number of people traveling for gastronomy continuously increasing. It is noticed that the country image stands out as a significant factor, considering the countries where the travel movements are intensely oriented. The present research has investigated the effects of novelty seeking and familiarity with the cuisine on country image, cuisine image and the intention to visit the country. In this context, the research was conducted on the image of Turkish cuisine exhibited in traditional and modern restaurants in England. The data were collected with a convenience sampling method from consumers in England who had dine in a Turkish restaurant by self-administered and online questionnaire. A total of 442 questionnaires were obtained. In this research, structural equation, confirmatory, exploratory and descriptive statistic analyses were applied. Results showed both cuisine image and country image have a significant effect on intention to visit in traditional and modern type of restaurants. Besides, it was determined that Turkish cuisine image has a strong effect on the country image. According to the research, while the effect of familiarity with Turkish cuisine on intention to visit and cuiisine image was not significant; it was significant and positive on country image. Finally, it was determined that novelty seeking has an effect on cuisine image, on the other hand, it has a significant effect only in modern type of restaurants while it doesn't effect intention to visit in both type of restaurants. Keywords: Country Image, Turkish Cuisine Image, Familiarity with Cuisine, Novalty Seeking, Intention to Visit, Turkish Restaurants.