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The purpose of this paper is to discover the common and differentiating food factors that affect tourists’ gastronomy satisfaction by comparing tourists’ gastronomic experiences at two culinary destinations in the Mediterranean region.

A total of 396 usable questionnaires were collected using a convenience sampling method from Cordoba (Spain) and Hatay (Turkey). The data were analysed through descriptive and multivariate analysis methods, including frequency analysis, multiple independent samples t-tests, χ² analysis and multiple regression analyses.

The results indicate that both of the destinations primarily attract existential type gastronomic tourists; however, they also attract recreational and diversionary types of tourist, particularly in Cordoba. From the perspective of Mediterranean cuisine, food quality and traditional gastronomy were determined to be common crucial factors for tourists’ food consumption satisfaction, which outweighs the effects of price, facilities and atmosphere. In addition, service and hospitality and innovation and new tastes in the dishes are the significant factors; however, factors vary according to the destination.

This study makes a significant contribution to the field food tourism by identifying common significant and insignificant and differentiating food factors that affect tourists’ gastronomic satisfaction in culinary destinations within the same geographical region. The results have the potential to provide a broader perspective for destination marketers and culinary establishments.

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of tourist guides in Türkiye regarding the role of technology in the tourist guiding profession.

This research adopted an exploratory qualitative case study approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with 29 professional tourist guides actively working in different regions of Türkiye.

The findings reveal the dual roles of technology in tourist guiding. While it can facilitate service quality and enhance experiences, technologies such as robot tourist guides, augmented reality and virtual reality are perceived as disruptive and potentially damaging service quality and tourist experiences.

The research offers unique insights into the facilitative and disruptive aspects of technological tools in the tourism industry. These findings have direct implications for destination managers, travel agencies and tourist guides worldwide, equipping them with a comprehensive understanding of the role of technology in tourist guiding and guiding their future actions, strategies and policies.

This paper aims to examine how socio-economic status (SES) shapes consumers’ purchase behavior of genuine brands and counterfeits. It also forms a typology based on the decision-making processes of these two groups by exploring neutralization processes and emotional outcomes related to their behaviors.

Data are collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 42 users and non-users of counterfeits from different SES groups.

This paper develops a consumer typology based on the customer behavior of counterfeit and genuine brand users, as well as emotional outcomes and neutralization strategies used to justify their actions according to their SES group. These categories are defined as the black chameleons, the counterfeit owners, the genuine brand owners and the authenticity seekers.

This paper contributes to the counterfeit literature by examining the consumption practices of each SES group of users and non-users of counterfeits by focusing on motivations, emotional outcomes and neutralization processes. The study shows how consumers’ end consumption practices and their SES group explains the mix findings on the counterfeit literature.