Experiencing Gastronomy Through the Screen: Cultural Representation and Food Narratives in Travel Vlogs

Digital tourism, as a concept that enables faster and easier access to tourism through digital technologies, also holds the potential to transform the structure and form of tourism itself. This study examines how travel videos, as a form of digital tourism activity, address food and gastronomy. It focuses on how food narratives are presented as part of tourism experiences in the videos of both Turkish and foreign vloggers and how these narratives are conveyed to viewers. The study is based on data obtained from travel vlogs uploaded to the YouTube platform by Turkish and foreign content creators. While selecting the research sample, the keywords “sokak yemeği,” “etnik yemek,” and “etnik mutfak” were used for Turkish content on YouTube, while the phrases “Turkish street food,” “Turkish cuisine,” and “Turkish ethnic food” were used for foreign content. The five most-viewed videos uploaded by Turkish content creator focusing on non-Turkish cuisine and the five most-viewed videos uploaded by foreign content creators about Turkish cuisine were taken into consideration. As a result of the analysis, it was found that in travel vlogs, food is not only presented as something to be tasted but also as a cultural element emphasized through the vlogger's narrative. In addition to introducing the local cuisine of a destination, these videos offer viewers a gastro-tourism experience. In this context, the videos go beyond being mere entertainment content and instead serve as representations of the local cuisine.