Embodiment of tacit knowledge as an insrument of competitive strength in the cultural markets: an example of Antakya

Abstract

With the effects of globalization that more and more has homogenized markets, consumers have begun to prefer to experiment events they perceive differently in social, cultural, geographic, technologic etc. areas. This leaning has made local and cultural factors preferential in particular in the tourism market. The cultural factors embodied in revealing the tacit knowledge behind these factors, that are the subject of the cultural market, have become the qualities of attraction sought in cultural tourism. In this context, the aim of this research is to determine the tacit knowledge factors behind the cultural market values of Antakya which is a city existing since the Paleolithic Period to the present time and, in this way, bring these factors to the global tourism market. This research conducted with the in-depth interview method has come to the conclusion that kunefe (kunefah) making, silk weaving and laurel soap making is tacit knowledge original to the region while stone carving is tacit knowledge genuine to the individual.