The role of gastronomy in shaping the destination’s brand identity: an empirical analysis based on stakeholders’ opinions

ABSTRACT

Gastronomic identity is an important resource for destinations, and it may play a significant role in creating the place’s brand identity. Following the Social Identity Theory as applied to destination branding, the research considers the perspective of different stakeholders for whom the role of gastronomy in shaping the destination’s brand may be seen as different. Thus, the research aims to uncover the interaction between gastronomical aspects of the destination and the place’s brand. The investigation examines empirically how the various elements of gastronomic identity influence the place’s brand identity. The study focuses on Gaziantep, which is a city in Turkey well-known for its cuisine and food cultural heritage. The results, based on 1510 questionnaires to key stakeholders, determine that the three components of Gaziantep’s gastronomic identity – food culture, food quality and culinary activities – have a varying influence on the destination’s brand identity. In addition, significant differences between stakeholders are observed.

美食标识是目的地的重要资源，在创建目的地的品牌标识方面可能扮演重要角色. 遵循适用于目的地品牌的社会认同理论，研究考虑了不同利益相关者的观点，对于这些利益相关者来说，美食在塑造目的地品牌中的作用可能被视为不同. 因此，该研究旨在揭示目的地的美食方面与地方品牌之间的相互作用. 调查从经验上考察了美食标识的各种要素如何影响这个地方的品牌标识. 这项研究的重点是加济安泰普，这是一个在土耳其以美食和食物文化遗产而闻名的城市. 研究结果基于对主要利益相关者的 1510 份调查问卷，确定 Gaziantep 美食标识的三个组成部分 —食品文化、食品质量和烹饪活动 —— 对目的地的品牌标识有不同的影响. 此外，观察到利益相关者之间存在显著差异.

KEYWORDS:

• Gastronomic identity
• brand identity
• tourism stakeholders
• destination marketing
• Gaziantep