Turkey plans to strengthen tourism in the field of gastronomy, informs the pro-government in “Sabah”, quoted from BTA.
The country intends to increase its income from gastronomic tourism, and its goal is to reach 18 billion dollars by the end of the year, and 25 billion dollars in 2025.
According to a report of the Development Agency “Achiler” Gastronomic tourism is defined as travel with the aim of getting to know the culinary culture of a given region or country, by trying local dishes, drinks and tourists getting to know the production methods.
Turkey, which increases its income from tourism every year, is considered one of the leading countries in the world in the field of gastronomic tourism. The country offers about 2,200 different local foods and drinks, and the biggest gastronomic centers are the cities of Gaziantep, Adana, Hatay and Izmir.
There are also 34 gastronomic museums in Turkey to promote local products.
Over 360 gastronomic festivals are organized annually in the country.
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (Türkstat), 20 percent of tourism revenue of $23.66 billion for the first half of this year came from the food and beverage category.