Digital Rights in Gastronomy Tourism: A Qualitative Study of Academics’ Perspectives

Öz

Digitalization has transformed the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of gastronomy tourism. Despite the increasing use of digital platforms throughout this transformation process, attention to digital rights has remained limited. This study examines the awareness, perceptions, and critical evaluations of academics working in the fields of tourism and gastronomy at universities in Türkiye regarding digital rights in gastronomy tourism. Designed as a qualitative study, the research employed a written semi-structured interview form, and the data obtained from 12 academics were analyzed through content analysis. According to the participants, awareness of digital rights in gastronomy tourism is generally low. On the other hand, issues such as data privacy, informed consent, digital surveillance, and the misuse of customer information—particularly in small-scale enterprises—remain prevalent. Furthermore, the participants highlighted inadequate data protection practices, the ineffective implementation of legal regulations, the lack of institutional ethical guidelines, and the limited academic interest in digital governance within the sector. By focusing on a relatively underexplored area, the study offers recommendations for the development of ethical, sustainable, and rights-based digital governance strategies in gastronomy tourism.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Digitalization
• Digital ethics
• digital rights
• data security
• gastronomy tourism

Etik Beyan

The ethical approval required for the data collection in this study was obtained from Kahramanmaraş İstiklal University Research Ethics Committee, with the decision/number E-23430505-050.04-46832.

Gastronomi Turizminde Dijital Haklar: Akademisyen Görüşleri Üzerine Nitel Bir Araştırma

Öz

Dijitalleşme, gastronomi turizminin sosyal, kültürel ve etik boyutlarını dönüştürmüştür. Bu dönüşüm sürecinde dijital platformların kullanımının artmasına rağmen, dijital haklara yönelik ilgi sınırlı kalmıştır. Bu çalışma, Türkiye’deki üniversitelerde turizm ve gastronomi alanlarında görev yapan akademisyenlerin, gastronomi turizminde dijital haklara ilişkin farkındalıklarını, algılarını ve eleştirel değerlendirmelerini incelemektedir. Nitel bir araştırma olarak tasarlanan çalışmada, yazılı yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmış ve 12 akademisyenden elde edilen veriler içerik analizi yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Katılımcılara göre, gastronomi turizminde dijital haklara yönelik farkındalık genel olarak düşüktür. Bununla birlikte; veri gizliliği, bilgilendirilmiş onam, dijital gözetim ve özellikle küçük ölçekli işletmelerde müşteri bilgilerinin kötüye kullanılması gibi sorunlar yaygın olarak görülmektedir. Ayrıca katılımcılar, yetersiz veri koruma uygulamalarına, yasal düzenlemelerin etkin biçimde uygulanmamasına, kurumsal etik rehberlerin eksikliğine ve sektörde dijital yönetişime yönelik akademik ilginin sınırlı olmasına dikkat çekmiştir. Görece az araştırılmış bir alana odaklanan bu çalışma, gastronomi turizminde etik, sürdürülebilir ve hak temelli dijital yönetişim stratejilerinin geliştirilmesine yönelik öneriler sunmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijitalleşme
• Dijital etik
• dijital haklar
• veri güvenliği
• gastronomi turizmi

Etik Beyan

Bu çalışmada veri toplama süreci için gerekli etik onay, Kahramanmaraş İstiklal Üniversitesi Bilimsel Araştırma ve Yayın Etiği Kurulu'ndan E-23430505-050.04-46832 sayılı karar ile alınmıştır.

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