Abstract:

Van Historical Cheese Bazaar entrepreneurs have undergone two important changes between 2018-2021. The first was the restoration which was undertaken in 2018, and the second has been the Covid-19 Pandemic process, which affects globally the world and Turkey. The latter’s effects are still available. The value of cheese which was created by Van Historical Cheese Bazaar for city tourism and how the market entrepreneurs are positioned have been evaluated by such dimensions as a touristic place and entrepreneurship. The research was based on the case study approach which embraces the qualitative research paradigm. In the first stage of the research, face-to-face interviews were achieved with the market entrepreneurs who are selected with the purposive and following snowball sampling method. The second stage of the study was followed by phone interviews with entrepreneurs, local guides, and agencies. The interviews were completed with 28 entrepreneurs, 7 guides and 4 tourist agencies. In addition, the views of the expert and formal institutions who are knowledgeable of the city's recent past were also taken into consideration. The participants emphasized that the restoration had positive and negative outcomes for circular economy and the tourism sector. One of the major outcomes showed that e-marketing efforts have become prominent against the shrinkage in the market during the Covid-19.

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