Gastronomy in Urban Competitiveness: A Content Analysis of City Indices

Abstract

With globalization, cities have increasingly begun to compete not only in terms of economic performance but also through their capacity for cultural influence. In this context, gastronomy and gastrodiplomacy have become strategic tools for enhancing cities' international visibility, brand value, and capacity to attract visitors. This study aims to examine how gastronomy is represented in city indices and the approaches adopted by these indices in evaluating gastronomy. Widely used city indices were examined through directed content analysis, and gastronomy-related indicators and evaluation criteria were systematically analyzed. The findings show that gastronomy is predominantly represented through restaurant and culinary diversity and food and beverage costs. Although gastrodiplomacy is not directly included as an indicator in the indices, the evaluation of gastronomy in relation to cultural attractiveness, visitor preferences, and international visibility points to an indirect relationship between gastrodiplomacy and the measurement domains of city indices. The findings reveal that gastronomy and gastrodiplomacy can be regarded as complementary tools that support cities' cultural visibility and international positioning and can be associated with urban competitiveness strategies.

Keywords

• urban competitivenss
• gastronomy
• gastrodiplomacy
• city indices

Supporting Institution

No financial support was received for this study.

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was not required for this study.

Thanks

The author does not wish to acknowledge any individual or institution.

Kent Rekabetinde Gastronomi: Kent Endeksleri Üzerine Bir İçerik Analizi

Abstract

Küreselleşmeyle birlikte kentler, ekonomik performanslarının yanı sıra kültürel etki kapasiteleri üzerinden de rekabet etmeye başlamıştır. Bu bağlamda gastronomi ve gastrodiplomasi, kentlerin uluslararası görünürlüğünü, marka değerini ve ziyaretçi çekme kapasitesini artıran stratejik araçlar haline gelmiştir. Bu çalışma, gastronominin kent endekslerindeki temsil biçimini ve endekslerin gastronomiyi değerlendirme yaklaşımlarını incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Çalışmada küresel ölçekte yaygın olarak kullanılan kent endeksleri yönlendirilmiş içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiş; gastronomiye ilişkin göstergeler ve değerlendirme ölçütleri sistematik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, gastronominin ağırlıklı olarak restoran ve mutfak çeşitliliği ile yiyecek–içecek maliyetleri üzerinden temsil edildiğini göstermektedir. Gastrodiplomasi endekslerde doğrudan bir gösterge olarak yer almamakla birlikte, gastronominin kültürel çekicilik, ziyaretçi tercihleri ve uluslararası görünürlükle ilişkili biçimde değerlendirilmesi, gastrodiplomasi ile kent endekslerinin ölçüm alanları arasında dolaylı bir ilişki bulunduğuna işaret etmektedir. Elde edilen bulgular, gastronomi ve gastrodiplomasinin kentlerin kültürel görünürlüğünü ve uluslararası konumlanmasını destekleyen, kentsel rekabet stratejileriyle ilişkilendirilebilecek tamamlayıcı araçlar olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• kent rekabeti
• gastronomi
• gastrodiplomasi
• kent endeksleri

Supporting Institution

Bu çalışma için herhangi bir finansal destek alınmamıştır.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma için etik kurul iznine gerek yoktur.

Thanks

Bir kişiye veya bir kuruma teşekkür edilmemiştir.

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