The importance of geographical indication in gastronomy tourism: Turkey

Abstract

Geographical indication can shortly be described as the protection of a local product or value with certain regulations. Geographical indications are divided into two categories called ‘’ origin name’’ and ‘’ geographical indication’’. Origin name, expresses a region, area or country which points out an local product or food that are made in an accurately determined geography in terms of production, operation and preparation including the natural and human factors caused by a region, location or in some exceptional cases by a country of which quality and characteristic features are totally or mainly the geographical borders are determined. Geographical indication is the sign that determines the product manufactured within the borders of a region, area or location determined with production, operation or at least one of the other operations beside being a product integrated to a region, area or location with its certain quality, fame or other features caused by a region, area or location of which borders are determined. In order to introduce the local products in Turkey both national and international (local products, local flavors, local production conditions, preserving the local production methods etc.), the importance of the patent product (the product belonging to a certain area certificated by official institutions) is high. Thus, it is thought that using the geographical indicated products for introducing and also preparation of the products derived from local products in Turkey could be beneficial. In this study, it is mentioned about the importance of the geographical indication for the local products to become widely known.