Nazmi Kozak

An analysis of cities based on tourism supply and climatic conditions in Turkey.

Abstract Tourism has become a major sector in Turkey. The key to continued attraction of visitors to the country in significant numbers is a careful coordination of marketing and planning of tourism supply resources. These supply resources of tourism certainly include favourable climate and climatic elements. The nature of spatial distribution of resources does affect the dispersion of demand in the country. This current study attempts to classify cities based on their supply indicators and establish the connection between supply resources and selected demand measures. It is hoped that the results of this study will have planning, marketing and resource allocation implications for Turkish tourism.

Measuring Destination Competitiveness: An Application of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (2007)

This article evaluates 13 key factors that affect destination competitiveness and compares the competitiveness levels of EU countries with those of Turkey. The article also focuses on detecting the more or less effective determinants of destination competitiveness. Secondary data, comprised of the World Economic Forums Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, were included in data analysis. Using this index, 28 countries were clustered according to their competitiveness scores. Cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling techniques were employed for an analysis of the findings. Results highlight that 3 clusters can be formed from the selected countries, and the factors which most affect the competitiveness of these countries are air transport infrastructure, natural and cultural resources, ground transport infrastructure, and health and hygiene. Results also indicate that Turkey receives the highest score only in price competitiveness; the image of Turkey as a low-priced country still exists in the international tourism market.

External information search behavior of visitors to Turkey

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of information search behavior of travelers from 36 countries to Turkey. The data used in this study were obtained from a larger research project which was carried out by Ministry of Tourism and Culture and State Statistics Association of Turkey in 2001. The study revealed seven dimensions of external information sources as a part of search behavior of visitors such as “friends and relatives,” “trade exhibition,” “promotion offices,” “media,” “tourism entities,” “others” (Internet, catalog and in-flight information) and “outside of the above sources.” The data were analyzed by two different techniques. First, a series of Chi-square tests were conducted to examine the information sources of visitors arriving in Turkey. Second, Correspondence Analysis (CA) was utilized to identify the differences in the information sources of visitors. Six external information sources were examined in the study.

Information sources available to visitors: a segmentation analysis

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the information search behavior of visitors according to various socio-demographic and travel-related variables regarded as a criterion for market segmentation. Design/methodology/approach – The data were based on a survey carried out with the cooperation of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the State Institute of Statistics in 2001. The study findings were analyzed by employing two statistical techniques: x 2 and a correspondence analysis. Findings – An overview of the study findings indicates that the individuals visiting Turkey are provided with information from a range of sources. The information sources accessed seem to vary according to the level of the respondents’ education level and purpose of their visit. Research limitations/implications – Through the research findings, it cannot be denied that the information sources have an impact on visitors’ decision-making process in choosing the specific place or facility to spend their limited time. This impact may vary from one person to another according to their different social groups. Practical implications – Based on six groups of external information sources, the study provides marketing implications for the tourism authorities to segment their target markets. Originality/value – The paper suggests that, in addition to other social and psychological factors, service providers can also segment their customers and tailor their marketing strategies based on visitors’ intentions of using information sources prior to, or during, their vacations.

Bibliometric analysis of tourism and hospitality related articles published in Turkey

This study aims to reveal the general development of tourism literature in Turkey between 2000 and 2010. To this end, 1217 articles that were published in Turkish refereed journals during this period were examined using bibliographic methods of analysis, within the scope of several parameters. The analysis revealed that Anatolia: Journal of Tourism Research (Anatolia: Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi) is the leading tourism journal in Turkey and that tourism management and organization, tourism marketing, and tourism economics were the most popular subjects among the academic community in Turkey. The most prolific authors were assistant professors and research assistants, and the majority of the articles used empirical techniques.

Institutionalisation of tourism research and education: from the early 1900s to 2000s

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to present the historical development of tourism studies literature and institutions in chronological order, dating back to the early twentieth century. Data sources used include books, journals, reports, theses and dissertations. Guidance was provided by academicians who have had personal communications with the first generation of pioneers in tourism research, or personal experience of the transformation of tourism as an academic discipline from its junior to its mature stages. The paper indicates how tourism as a field of research and education evolved from the early 1900s to the early 2000s and how this development can be divided into three major periods. In the first period, tourism was considered to be an applied field and was integrated within other major disciplines. During this time, scholars from Germany, Switzerland and Austria dominated research. The second period saw the first steps towards internationalisation, with tourism research and education expanding into Anglophone countries and some other developing areas. The third period reflects how tourism research and education became international.

Rankings of Tourism and Hospitality Departments: A Case of Turkey

ABSTRACT Although there has been a long tradition of ranking departments on the basis of research productivity, this phenomenon is relatively new in tourism research. This paper develops a conceptualized ranking scheme of academic programs which was tested through following a five-step ranking approach and using both objective and subjective measures. The study findings indicate that some departments drift away from the league table while the position of top departments does not really change from one approach to another. The study findings also support the proposition that there is a strong consistency between reputation rankings of the quality of departments and their overall ranking. Despite the general similarity in the reputation and cumulative weighted rankings, there is noteworthy discrepancy that some departments rate much higher in the reputation ranking than in the objective ranking. Some other departments receive a lower perceived ranking than they receive from objective measures. The paper suggests both theoretical and practical implications.

An exploratory study of resident perceptions toward the tourism industry in Cappadocia: a Social Exchange Theory approach

ABSTRACT This paper evaluates the perceptions of Cappadocia residents on the impacts of tourism development and resident attitudes toward tourism. Social Exchange Theory underpinned this study of the perceptions of Cappadocia’s residents and their attitudes toward tourism. Primary data were collected from tourism industry professionals, officials of non-profit organizations and handicraftsmen. Twenty-three in-depth interviews were conducted with Cappadocia residents, and the data were analyzed with content analysis. Results highlight that “Economic,” “Socio-Cultural” and “Environmental” aspects can be inferred to encompass resident perceptions toward the impacts of tourism development in Cappadocia. Residents tend to recognize the economic benefits as well as socio-cultural and environmental costs. Results indicate that Social Exchange Theory can be used in explaining the perceptions of Cappadocia residents and reactions to tourism phenomena. This study is expected to provide practical ways for concerned authorities to make future policies and strategies to eradicate problems that create unpleasant feelings amongst residents.

Information on Some International Journals of Tourism, Leisure and Recreation: The Results of a Survey

ABSTRACT In 1998, the editor-in-chief of the present journal, Nazmi Kozak planned to collect journal information of learned journals of tourism and allied disciplines, by means of a questionnaire. The data obtained out of 40 responses that were received, was not an adequate sample in order to make an analytical research of the data—due to various reasons. Today, as the time has come to realise another survey of the kind, the relevant results of the previous survey are presented in possible detail.

Cultural visitors and local residents’ interactions: hippies movement at Sultanahmet in the 1960s

ABSTRACT Hippies (and the backpackers) began to visit Turkey in mid-1960s. The “Hippie Movement” to Turkey peaked between 1965 and 1979. After the closing of the “Hippie Trail”, the hippie movement witnessed a significant decrease when the (highway-connected) “traditional hippie trail” was closed – coinciding with the Iranian regime shift in 1979. In this study, cultural interactions are reviewed that resulted from relations between the hippies on the one hand, and local residents and shopkeepers of Sultanahmet, Istanbul and the Turkish media (between 1965 and 1979) on the other. To facilitate this study, data are used that were obtained through the oral history interview method. The study concludes that the aforementioned cultural interactions influenced both the hippies and the Turkish residents.