TURKIYE RAISES ITS TARGET FOR GASTRONOMY TOURISM

ANKARA, Sept 20 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Turkiye is rolling up its sleeves to increase its income from gastronomy tourism, which is expected to reach US$18 billion by the end of the year and US$25 billion by 2025, Anadolu Agency reported.

Gastronomy tourism is defined as a form of travel aimed at discovering the culinary culture, local dishes, beverages, and production methods of a region or country.

Turkiye, which increases its tourism revenues year by year, is considered one of the leading countries in this field.

While Turkiye has more than 2,200 local foods and beverages, cities such as Gaziantep, Adana, Hatay, and Izmir are among the important gastronomy centres of the country.

Efforts are being made to develop gastronomy tourism in the country, and 41 different food, cookery, and pastry courses provide training, 16 of which are in Istanbul.

According to a report by the Ahiler Development Agency, there are 34 gastronomy museums in Turkiye to promote local products, while more than 360 gastronomy festivals are organized across the country.

To develop gastronomy tourism, events were organized to promote Turkish culinary culture in countries such as the US, China, Russia, Spain, and Canada.

According to the tourism statistics of the Turkish Statistical Institute, 20 per cent of the tourism revenue of US$23.66 billion in the first half of the year was obtained in the food and beverage category.

The revenue generated in the first half of the year in this category was US$4.74 billion. In 2023, US$10.9 billion was generated in the food and beverage category.

Commenting on the development of gastronomy tourism in Turkiey, Gurkan Boztepe, president of the Gastronomy Tourism Association, said that especially in recent years, gastronomy tourism has started to take an important place in the country's overall tourism strategy.

Highlighting that gastronomy has great potential in Turkiye’s “60 million tourists, US$60 billion in revenue” target, Boztepe said the recognition of Gaziantep as the “City of Gastronomy” by UNESCO has further increased the growth potential in this field.

Boztepe said revenue from gastronomy tourism is increasing every year.

“Our year-end target in gastronomy tourism is US$18 billion, and the 2025 target is planned as US$25 billion. The rich culinary culture of the country can be a powerful tool in achieving this goal,” he added.

He said sustainable tourism policies should be expanded to compete with countries with deep-rooted culinary traditions around the world in the field of gastronomy tourism.

“Gastronomy cities should be promoted more effectively at the international level. Turkiye is on its way to becoming a global player in gastronomy tourism.” 

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU