Geography of food supply network in a tourism region: case of Alanya

Aim of the study is to identify the geographical distribution of food supply networks of tourism and to explore impacts on agriculture sector through their supplier relations in the scope of secondary economic impacts. The research is conducted in Alanya, which is one the most important destination of Turkey, owing to its natural attraction, long season period and accommodation capacity. In this context, the following questions are attempted to answer: How tourism create a food supply chain from producer to final consumer (tourist)? How is the spatial network of this chain? Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the suppliers and middlemen of fresh fruit and vegetables within the research area. 47 out of 63 firms participated in the study. Non-parametric tests are used to explain the relations and effects of tourism sector. Results show that hotels are important customers for food supplier firms and tourism generates strong networks and enhances the supply of agricultural production within and outside of tourism region. Moreover, considering to firm features are larger than the others in terms of the firm size, and they are linking with much more suppliers.