MU-led project ''Taste the Culture'' implemented in Turkey

Many travelers to the Turkish Aegean region have a huge interest in the local cuisine, and many hotels already source from local producers. Nonetheless, the connection between agricultural producers and hotel industry still needs to be improved.

The project team of Prof. Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, Hannes Antonschmidt (Department of Tourism and Service Management, MODUL University) and Daniela Fischer (University of Applied Sciences Kempten) are tackling this problem with their ongoing 'Taste the Culture' project, aiming to introduce sustainable food principles in popular holiday destinations and in this way contribute to climate protection and the promotion of regional – and often traditional – food producers.

The researchers developed communication tools to inform hotel guests which products are locally sourced. The tools were implemented in a five star resort in the Izmir Province. The results show an average increase in the consumption of the advertised products of 53.1%. A simultaneously conducted guest survey indicates moderately positive changes in the attitude of tourists towards sustainable food.

''We know from previous studies that Turkey has a well-developed agricultural hinterland offering a great variety of products,'' says Hannes Antonschmidt. ''Through the advertisements, we hope to strengthen the connection between local producers and hotels further. In addition, we want to contribute to the promotion of the rich Turkish food culture.''