Abstract:

Abstract Tourist guides are one of the most important stakeholders of the tourism industry. Local food and beverages are important resources that reflect the cultural richness of the regions. The relationship between the gastronomic performances of tourist guides and the intention of tourists to consume local food and beverages draws attention as a subject that has not been adequately examined in the gastronomy literature. From this point of view, within the scope of this study, the relationship between the gastronomic performances of tourist guides and the intentions of tourists to consume local food and beverages was investigated. In this context, data were collected from a total of 417 domestic and foreign tourists, who received service from professional tourist guides in the Cappadocia region, by using the convenience sampling method, through a questionnaire. As a result of the analysis; it has been observed that there is a positive, strong and significant relationship between the gastronomic performances of tourist guides and the intention of tourists to consume local food and beverages. In addition, it has been determined that tourists' perceptions of the gastronomic performance of tourist guides and their intention to consume local food and beverages differ according to the demographic characteristics and travel experiences of the tourists.

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