Visitors develop taste for gastronomy tours
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 16, 2009 00:00
ADANA - Tourists' increasing demand to taste unique regional flavors is leading more Turkish travel agencies to include culinary destinations in their tour packages. Officials hope to draw more visitors interested in food as well as beach vacations and historic tours
Gastronomy tours, already a popular way to experience the regional flavors of countries like Italy, Spain, Greece and France, are on the rise in Turkey, too, promoted by travel agencies and hoteliers in the Mediterranean region of Çukurova.
The southern cities of Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep and Mersin are known for their rich culinary culture, and local tourism officials hope to draw more travelers who want to enjoy Anatolia’s various cuisines as well as the Mediterranean’s sea, sun and sand.
What’s a visit to Adana without an Adana kebab?
"Tourism agencies are searching for different fields to offer more alternatives," said Nesrin Göçhan, an executive board member of the Turkish Travel Agencies Union, or TURSAB. "Gastronomy tours are very important in this sense." Travel agencies have seen increased interest in gastronomy tours over the past two years, Göçhan said, adding that many have started to include culinary destinations in their packages. "Meals are an inevitable, and even important part of travel. Especially those who are interested in cultural tours want to taste the dishes of the regions they visit," she said. "For example, tourists visiting the Mediterranean city of Adana do not want to leave before eating the famous Adana kebab."
Other cities in the area have their own distinctive dishes. Hatay is famous for its oruk (a ground meat and bulgur burger), hummus, tepsi kebab and many mezes, while Gaziantep is known for its lahmacun (Turkish pizza with minced meat), alinazik (a dish made with eggplant puree and grilled meatballs), eggplant kebab and baklava. Tantuni (a wrap filled with very small pieces of pan-cooked meat) is another regional specialty.
Turkey is rich in terms of culinary culture, Göçhan said, with each region having its own unique tastes. The southern cities especially are promoting their food cultures now, and Göçhan expects that gastronomy tours will help Turkish tourism develop further.
The president of the Çukurova Hoteliers Union, or ÇUKTOB, Tayyar Zaimoğlu said his organization was a leader in bringing gastronomic tourism to Turkey, adding, "Our project, which we began to plan seven or eight years ago, has been carried out successfully for the last two or three years."
Zaimoğlu hopes to use Çukurova’s significant place in Turkish culinary culture to draw tourists to the area. "We have succeeded in bringing famous gourmets to our region, and thanks to them, we have had the chance to promote the region’s cuisine all around the country," he said. "In our region, especially in Adana, Mersin and Hatay, cuisines are similar to each other, but there are some unique differences as well. New restaurants are opening because of the increasing interest and regional flavors are being included on hotel menus. Antakya especially draws much interest for its unique cuisine."
The southern cities of Adana, Hatay, Gaziantep and Mersin are known for their rich culinary culture, and local tourism officials hope to draw more travelers who want to enjoy Anatolia’s various cuisines as well as the Mediterranean’s sea, sun and sand.
What’s a visit to Adana without an Adana kebab?
"Tourism agencies are searching for different fields to offer more alternatives," said Nesrin Göçhan, an executive board member of the Turkish Travel Agencies Union, or TURSAB. "Gastronomy tours are very important in this sense." Travel agencies have seen increased interest in gastronomy tours over the past two years, Göçhan said, adding that many have started to include culinary destinations in their packages. "Meals are an inevitable, and even important part of travel. Especially those who are interested in cultural tours want to taste the dishes of the regions they visit," she said. "For example, tourists visiting the Mediterranean city of Adana do not want to leave before eating the famous Adana kebab."
Other cities in the area have their own distinctive dishes. Hatay is famous for its oruk (a ground meat and bulgur burger), hummus, tepsi kebab and many mezes, while Gaziantep is known for its lahmacun (Turkish pizza with minced meat), alinazik (a dish made with eggplant puree and grilled meatballs), eggplant kebab and baklava. Tantuni (a wrap filled with very small pieces of pan-cooked meat) is another regional specialty.
Turkey is rich in terms of culinary culture, Göçhan said, with each region having its own unique tastes. The southern cities especially are promoting their food cultures now, and Göçhan expects that gastronomy tours will help Turkish tourism develop further.
The president of the Çukurova Hoteliers Union, or ÇUKTOB, Tayyar Zaimoğlu said his organization was a leader in bringing gastronomic tourism to Turkey, adding, "Our project, which we began to plan seven or eight years ago, has been carried out successfully for the last two or three years."
Zaimoğlu hopes to use Çukurova’s significant place in Turkish culinary culture to draw tourists to the area. "We have succeeded in bringing famous gourmets to our region, and thanks to them, we have had the chance to promote the region’s cuisine all around the country," he said. "In our region, especially in Adana, Mersin and Hatay, cuisines are similar to each other, but there are some unique differences as well. New restaurants are opening because of the increasing interest and regional flavors are being included on hotel menus. Antakya especially draws much interest for its unique cuisine."