Abstract
<jats:p>Tourism is not merely an economic sector; it is a multidimensional phenomenon that directly impacts societies’ cultural memory, natural environment, and the resources they will pass on to future generations. In the first quarter of the twenty-first century, climate change, the loss of biodiversity, and the rapid depletion of resources have called into question the traditional understanding of growth in tourism; sustainability has now taken its place on the sector’s agenda not as an option but as a necessity . One of the most visible and promising areas of this transformation is culinary tourism. This is because food encompasses an entire value chain—from production to consumption, from the field to the table—and is therefore one of the few areas where the principles of sustainability are concretely embodied. Culinary culture is not merely a sphere of consumption that meets nutritional needs. It is a multilayered cultural system where land, water, labor, memory, identity, and economic relationships intersect. When combined with tourism, this system enhances the visibility of destinations while transforming local production methods; at times yielding protective outcomes, and at other times, erosive ones. The climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, food waste, energy costs, and the decline of the rural population directly impact the future of gastronomic tourism. For this reason, sustainable gastronomic tourism should be viewed not merely as a list of eco-friendly practices, but as a comprehensive transformation process spanning from production to consumption, and from experience design to governance. Green entrepreneurship serves as the economic and organizational engine of this transformation, while green innovation represents solutions in the form of new products, processes, marketing, technology, and business models. Türkiye’s rich culinary heritage, strong agricultural diversity, geographically indicated products, and regional culture of entrepreneurship offer significant potential for these two areas. This book examines sustainable gastronomic tourism within the framework of green entrepreneurship and green innovation, evaluating the subject within iiithe Turkish context from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. The backbone of the book is a field study that measures consumers’ perceptions of green entrepreneurship and green innovation, tested using data collected from 402 participants. The findings, obtained through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses and a structural equation model, have been linked to theoretical discussions, and practical recommendations have been developed. This book discusses the conditions under which this potential can be transformed into sustainable value and proposes a practical roadmap for the public sector, the private sector, academia, and society. Two primary concerns guided the writing of this book. The first is the balance between conceptual depth and empirical rigor; the book seeks to make the often abstract concepts of sustainability literature testable through concrete measurement and modeling studies. Second, the aim is to adapt international literature to the Turkish context not through a mere intellectual transfer but through a critical adaptation; because sustainability does not function in the same way in every region and requires consideration of local conditions. This work is intended to contribute to academics, graduate students, industry professionals, and policymakers working in the fields of tourism, gastronomy, business, and sustainability. The success of the green transition depends not only on technological innovations but also on consumer perceptions, the courage of entrepreneurs, and social awareness.</jats:p>