Abstract:
The aim of this study is to understand the local gastronomic elements of destinations in the branding process of destinations. To achieve this goal, Adana province, which has a large kitchen culture in Turkey is chosen. Although there are studies related to destination branding process of Adana province in the literature review, no study has been found to determine the place of gastronomic elements in the branding process. This study is important for eliminating this gap. In order to achieve the objectives of the study, it was deemed appropriate to use the questionnaire method. The questionnaire was applied to the visitors who participated in the “Adana Flavor Festival” and experienced, the one of the local gastronomic element called, “Adana Kebabı”. 298 observations were obtained in the study. The observations obtained were subjected to frequency, percentage, arithmetic mean, standard deviation, reliability and correlation analysis. In the analyzes; It was found that the perception of destination branding of Adana province is high, the image perception of Adana kebab is very high and image of Adana kebab has a moderate positive relationship with the branding process of Adana province.
