Incorporating local and international cuisines in the marketing of tourism destinations: The cases of Hong Kong and Turkey

This paper compares how two different destinations use food in their marketing activities. Content analysis of brochures, booklets and web sites was used. One, Hong Kong, makes extensive use of food as part of its core positioning statement. The other, Turkey, makes little reference to it, even though its indigenous cuisine is unique and rich. The findings imply that when using food in destination marketing, some expertise and knowledge are essential not only in marketing destinations but also in local and international cuisines as well as in socio-cultural characteristics of potential tourists. The study provides discussions on how destinations can learn valuable lessons to differentiate themselves through using their unique cuisines.