‘Being a woman’ in the gastronomy industry: entrepreneurial experiences of women from a cultural tourism destination

Women's entrepreneurship in heritage-based gastronomy, particularly in Safranbolu—a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Cittaslow member city—reveals a dual role: it serves as both an economic necessity and a catalyst for cultural preservation and sustainable local development. Despite facing barriers such as gender norms, institutional challenges, and skill deficits, female entrepreneurs in this sector leverage informal support networks, cultural capital, and the city's slow tourism ethos to thrive. This study, grounded in gender theory and aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlights the complex interplay of motivations and enablers that shape their entrepreneurial trajectories. By adopting an embedded single case study design and analyzing semi-structured interviews, it contributes to the literature by theorizing women’s gastronomic entrepreneurship as a mechanism for social inclusion and sustainable development.

Yilmaz, G., Yumuk, Y., & Şahin-Yilmaz, A. (2025). ‘Being a woman’ in the gastronomy industry: entrepreneurial experiences of women from a cultural tourism destination. Journal of Qualitative Research in Tourism, 6(1-2), 138–170. https://doi.org/10.4337/jqrt.2025.0027