THE MONTHLY MEETING OF TÜRSAB’S GASTRONOMY TOURISM SPECIALIZATION DEPARTMENT WAS HELD IN BALAT

The monthly meeting of the TÜRSAB Gastronomy Tourism Specialization Presidency was held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, in Balat, under the coordination of  Gastronomy Tourism Specialization President Tümay İmamoğlu.

Attendees included  Board Members Gürkan Özcan, Özgür Ildır Öksüz, and Şebnem Urgancıoğlu; Fatih RRB President Okan Cem Başusta; İzmir RRB President İsmail Hakkı Karadeveci; Cultural Tourism Specialization President Hakan Çokgezen, TOAR Specialization President Erdal Çeri, Gastronomy Tourism Specialization Vice Presidents, and members of the Specialization Board.

The meeting addressed how to more effectively integrate the culinary heritage of our cities—particularly Gaziantep, Hatay, and Afyonkarahisar, which are part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the gastronomy category—into tourism activities. Additionally, discussions focused on making geographically indicated products and local culinary cultures more visible in travel agency operations, promoting Anatolia’s deep-rooted culinary heritage through gastronomy routes, and evaluating national and international gastronomy tourism events, as well as educational programs, panels, and seminars.

Decisions made at the previous meeting were reviewed, and a discussion was held regarding the progress of ongoing initiatives. During the meeting, which included evaluations of projects related to gastronomy tourism, the development of new gastronomy routes, and the enhancement of sectoral collaborations, a common approach was adopted to accelerate the implementation of practical initiatives. The meeting, which continued with the presentation and insights of Görkem Özdemir, a member of the Gastronomy Tourism Specialized Committee, on “Tastes of Istanbul,” concluded following contributions and evaluations from the members.

We would like to thank all members who participated.