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Papers by Gurel Cetin

Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree to which budget and mid-range hotelier... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree to which budget and mid-range hoteliers perceive Airbnb as a threat, and the extent to which they are actively responding to the peer-to-peer accommodation business model. Design/methodology/approach The study draws on qualitative data collected through 19 semi-structured interviews with budget and midrange hotel managers in Istanbul, Turkey, covering how they view Airbnb and have responded to Airbnb’s rise. Findings The results suggest that the managers believed they were losing some business to Airbnb, yet they generally neither perceive Airbnb as a serious threat nor were they generally taking concrete strategic measures to respond to Airbnb. Regulatory lobbying against Airbnb and exploiting Airbnb as a new distribution platform were the most common responses, and cutting rate also was commonly seen as a potential competitive strategy. Originality/value The study responds to calls by several scholars for more research add...

The Service Industries Journal

ABSTRACT The well-being of employees in the tourism and hospitality industry remains an important... more ABSTRACT The well-being of employees in the tourism and hospitality industry remains an important area of investigation in tourism research. Building on the emotional labor theory and the well-being body of knowledge, this study develops and tests a model that examines the effects of emotional dissonance on the quality of work life and life satisfaction using data from professional tour guides in Jordan. Unexpectedly, results show that tour guides do not experience significant emotional dissonance and that there is no negative impact of emotional dissonance neither on quality of work life or life satisfaction. Contrary to theoretical predictions, the findings fail to suggest a link between emotional dissonance, quality of work of life and life satisfaction. However, the findings reveal that a positive relationship between quality of work life and life satisfaction exists. The study provides some theoretical and practical implications and suggests areas of inquiry for future research.

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate tourists’ experiences of local hospitality an... more Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate tourists’ experiences of local hospitality and offer a typology of Turkish hospitality based on perspectives of international tourists. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with tourists visiting Istanbul, Turkey. Interview transcripts were content-analyzed and -coded under different themes that characterize local hospitality. Findings The research findings revealed 64 items describing local Turkish hospitality. These were grouped under four distinct themes: sociability, care, helpfulness and generosity. Research limitations/implications Using the factors of local Turkish hospitality identified in this paper, future studies might measure the impacts of these antecedents of local hospitality on tourist satisfaction and positive behaviors such as loyalty and word of mouth in a quantitative study. Exploring local hospitality in different destinations with different characteristics might also reveal val...

Accessibility of a destination is an important factor affecting the volume of arrivals to a regio... more Accessibility of a destination is an important factor affecting the volume of arrivals to a region. This paper discusses the role of direct flights in development of tourism in Turkey by analyzing Turkish Airlines (THY / TK). THY has transformed into a leading airline by number of international destinations served within the past decade. Parallel to THY, Turkey as a tourist destination also experienced a metronomic rise in international arrivals. Secondary data is used to assess the number of international arrivals to Turkey before and after her air connectivity with certain countries is established. Findings confirm that direct flights to/from generating regions have significant impact on number of arrivals to destinations. Considering availability of direct flights to/from a destination as an important determinant of momentum in tourism development, the cost-benefits analysis of new flight routes would be based on a more holistic approach rather than mere airline revenue and costs.

This study explores the importance of Muslim friendly tourism (MFT) and discusses some definition... more This study explores the importance of Muslim friendly tourism (MFT) and discusses some definitions of this concept as an emerging field of study within the tourism discipline. With a well above average growth rate tourists with an Islamic belief constitute an important part of travel trade. This segment is also referred to as Halal tourism and Islamic tourism. Although there are various interpretations, most would agree that Islam is a demanding religion and affect its followers' daily life. Therefore Muslim travelers require additional facilities and services than most travelers belonging to other religions and tourists without a religious beliefs. Yet there is a gap in the literature about these needs, definitions and segmentation of MFT. The literature has so far failed to offer a universal framework to define MFT and its importance thereof. This note is an initial attempt to discuss the importance of MFT and various approaches to this phenomena.

This study analyses theoretical problems in the study of tourism and reviews some major thoughts ... more This study analyses theoretical problems in the study of tourism and reviews some major thoughts and literature as well as tourism as an emerging discipline. Tourism as a scientific discipline still does not haveits own and established academic body that distinguishes it from other sciences. Therefore, tourism as a recent field of research is struggling without being understood in the correct way because its theory of knowledge is not delimited and tries to be reflected from the point of view of its formal components. In this sense, the principal aim of this article is to try to delimit the perspectives and definitions of the main authors that have contributed tothe "tourism theory" in general until now, by focusing on several dimensions such us: positivism, materialism, neo-durkheimism, functionalism and post-modernism.

In recent years, the refugee crisis has emerged as a major global challenge with social, economic... more In recent years, the refugee crisis has emerged as a major global challenge with social, economic, and political implications. Figures indicate that there are currently over 22 million refugees around the world. While refugees are usually regarded as a burden for their host countries, their entrepreneurial ventures might offer significant contributions to local economies. Although refugee entrepreneurship has become significantly evident in several economies, theoretical and empirical research tackling this issue is still scant. This study aims to explore the characteristics of and challenges faced by refugee tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs in Istanbul, Turkey. Drawing on qualitative data collected through 20 semi-structured interviews with refugee tourism and hospitality entrepreneurs, the findings suggest that refugee entrepreneurs were challenged by four key issues; legislative and administrative, financial, socio-cultural, and market-related obstacles. The study also offer...

Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management

Revenue generated from tourism taxes constitutes an important financial resource for local govern... more Revenue generated from tourism taxes constitutes an important financial resource for local governments and tourism authorities to both ensure tourism sustainability and enhance the quality of tourist experiences. In order for tourism policy makers to create an efficient and fair tax system in tourism destinations, it is crucial to understand travelers' perceptions concerning willingness to pay (WTP), tax rates, and their optimal allocation. The objectives of this paper, therefore, are to evaluate tourism taxes as a compensation tool to cover the costs of tourism and to measure tourists' WTP. The paper also suggests a fair allocation of tax revenues based on tourists' perceptions. A qualitative approach was used and data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with international travelers to Istanbul, Turkey. The findings suggest that tourists are more likely to pay an additional amount of tax when this is earmarked for improvements in their experiences...

Information Technology & Tourism, 2016

The structure of hospitality distribution has experienced profound changes within the last few de... more The structure of hospitality distribution has experienced profound changes within the last few decades. With the evolution and spread of internet, a substantial number of consumers started to use electronic channels for hotel bookings. This has resulted in disintermediation of traditional offline travel agencies. Yet, it has also initiated a new type of middleman to emerge and grow. Much powerful than its former version, online travel agencies (OTAs) bring about some benefits but also challenges particularly for small and medium sized independent hotels (SMHEs). This paper focuses on the difficulties SMHEs face during this transformation. The characteristics of SMHEs, the evolution of channels and the role of OTAs were discussed based on a qualitative study. 22 SMHE managers were interviewed about their perceptions of OTAs and challenges with reintermediation. Based on the data the challenges were grouped under; complexity, dependency, unfair competition and commodification. Solutions to complications of reintermediation for SMHEs and directions for future research are suggested.

Customer experience has been acknowledged as an important factor affecting positive customer beha... more Customer experience has been acknowledged as an important factor affecting positive customer behaviors such as loyalty and recommendation. The hospitality industry is also considered to be among the experience-intensive services. This study aims to explore hospitality experiences from guests' and managers' perspectives through a qualitative study. A total of 33 luxury hotel guests and 14 hospitality managers in Istanbul, Turkey, were interviewed to determine factors affecting guest experiences. The content was then analyzed according to two major factors-physical environment and social interactions-under which eight major categories were grouped. The findings imply that ambiance, space/function/amenities, design, and signs/symbols/artifacts may be considered main themes under the physical environment factor, whereas, under the social interactions factor, the guests' experiences can be grouped under interactions with staff (professionalism, attentiveness/customization, attitude) and interactions with other guests. The results offer valuable insights to managers regarding dimensions of guest experiences and possible misperceptions. The study also suggests various implications and directions for future research.

"The importance of Electronic Word of mouth on business performance is ever increasing becau... more "The importance of Electronic Word of mouth on business performance is ever increasing because of wider use of internet and growth of customer comment sites. Both posisitve and negative comments can be seen as an opportunity for organizations. By facilitating and analyzing the customer comments, the businesses can better determine their weaknesses from the perspectives of customers and would be in a better position to turn them into strengths. Efficient handling of complaints might turn a dissatisfied customer even into a loyal one. Complaint management has also been a significant issue for service firms where purchases are mostly intangible in nature. Travel agencies are intermediaries that coordinate various services, supplied by different vendors and peeople. They act as the middleman between the customer and various suppliers that create a tour package. From the customer perspective tours are high risk purchases, customers do have little concrete information about most of the services included in their package, transportation, guiding and even accommodation facilities are opaque in many ways. Even when the standarts are well established, there are many instances promises mentioned on promotional material have not been realized. Therefore customers rely on expeiences and comments of previous users when they decide on the reliability of the tour operator and the quality of its services. This study examines the negative comments of customers based on a content analysis of comments posted on sikayetvar.com about travel agencies operating in Turkey and targetting Turkish tourists. Sikayetvar.com is the largest complaint site in Turkey considering number of members. 1209 negative comments on the services of 10 travel agencies were analyzed, read and coded by the authors to identify the categories of customer complaints from tour operators in a turkish tourism setting. The findings of the study might be used to improve service quality and complaint handling process of travel trade. "

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the role of Turkish Airlines (Turkish National Carrier) in developm... more ABSTRACT This paper discusses the role of Turkish Airlines (Turkish National Carrier) in development of tourism in various sub-destinations of Turkey. Studying Turkish airlines (THY) is important as the Turkish Flag Carrier has been challenging the global airline industry by regularly adding new routes (currently the widest in Europe) and increasing the frequencies of existing routes as well. Turkish airlines is also considered to be a quality service airline, awarded with various international prizes. Considering accessibility of a destination as an important determinant of success of tourism development, airlines have prime role in growth tourist numbers in a region. Therefore this study aims to analyze the impact of air accessibility of destinations on the number of arrivals to the destinations by analyzing secondary statistical information acquired from Turkish Airlines and airport customs.

ABSTRACT Tourism is a growing international activity, with economic, social and environmental out... more ABSTRACT Tourism is a growing international activity, with economic, social and environmental outcomes. Although governments are focused on the economic benefits created through international tourism movements, the environmental conflicts and social side effects are often neglected. Because of various economic needs, and lobbying power of tourism elites, sustainable tourism is looked over by most of the governments and tourism industry. This paper outlines a general framework for lodging taxes as a compensation tool through previous literature, states advantages and disadvantages of lodging taxes and suggest implementation strategies based on qualitative interviews with tourism industry elites in Istanbul.

Major strength of tourism in Istanbul is its culture and heritage sites. The cultural heritage at... more Major strength of tourism in Istanbul is its culture and heritage sites. The cultural heritage attractions in the city include museums, shrines, palaces, monuments but also Grand Bazaar which attracts half a million visitor per year. One of the reasons of competitive strength of the Bazaar is considered to be its culture of fair trade. However in recent years there has been some debate not only in local but international literature about unethical behaviors of shopkeepers in tourism shopping, the main aim of this research is to identify the characteristics of fair trade by analyzing the rules and regulations imposed by ahilik through semi-structured interviews with product suppliers in Grand Bazaar. The study has important implications in improvements of tourist shopping experience and suggests a set of ethical behaviors that might be adopted by various stake holders serving the tourist shopping market. The destination planners and regulators might also consider these suggestions in order to sustain and grow shopping expenditures of tourists.

ABSTRACT Tourism is a growing international activity despite economic crises, political conflicts... more ABSTRACT Tourism is a growing international activity despite economic crises, political conflicts and natural disasters. Tourism is also becoming more global, with advancements in technology and relaxation on visa processes the dominance of western tourist generating countries international tourism is shifting. Far East, Middle East and CIS countries’ growth rates of outgoing tourists are remarkable. Although the importance of these emerging regions has been acknowledged, the research on tourism has long been focused on Western tourists. Among these markets Middle east is the fastest growing market with a 3,4% annual growth between 2000-2010. Middle East region has supplied 36,2 million tourists in 2010, an increase from 8,2 million in 1990. It would not be surprising to see this trend continue as the population of the area has also expected to shift from 250 million to 400 million by 2050 (UNWTO, 2012) . Current consumer research on tourism is focused on western societies and neglects most eastern cultures especially the Muslim world. Although Middle East tourist market is among emerging geographical segments for World tourism demand there is a lack of research on their needs, experiences and behaviors. According to UNWTO (2012) Middle East countries include; Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Especially gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar) account for 75% of total expenditure from the Middle East countries. This study examines the tourist experiences of Middle Eastern tourists visiting Istanbul. Istanbul is a popular destination for international travelers and it is also attracting a large share of Middle East tourist market mainly because of cultural and geographic proximity. The quantitative analysis is based on extant literature and interviews conducted, transcribed and content analyzed with Middle East tourists. The survey includes demographic, tripographic questions and statements about tourist experiences as well as intention to return and recommend to others. The findings of the study is expected to reveal important information about Middle Eastern tourists overall experiences in a destination. The findings can also facilitate a better planning, decision making and product design for tourism professionals and destination planners who intent to attract more visitors from Middle East as a growing market segment.

ABSTRACT Customer experiences in tourism are considered as an important factor affecting consumer... more ABSTRACT Customer experiences in tourism are considered as an important factor affecting consumer value, loyalty and positive word of mouth. Although tourist experiences are critical for destinations’ success, offering a theoretical framework for experiences has been a challenging objective for researchers. Since tourism is and experience intensive activity, functional frameworks and scales are not always able to explain the extraordinary, non-routine and unique behaviors of travellers. Thus the purpose of this paper is to discuss overall cultural tourist experiences and explore main dimensions of cultural tourist experiences in the light of Istanbul. In order to reach this objective after an extensive literature review; a qualitative technique based on semi-structured interviews was chosen. The instrument included open ended questions concerning demographic and tripographic information as well as experience related questions that are created based on literature and expert feedback. The questions have also been tested on two respondents before finalized. The interviews were conducted between September – November 2013 with adult respondents visiting Istanbul. Screening criteria used for the interviewees were being above 18 years old, to have visited at least one cultural site or joined a cultural event in the city and have stayed in Istanbul for more than one full day. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim after each interview. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 21 tourists at random cultural sites, hotel lobbies and international airports. The 89 page data was read several times by authors before emerging items were colour coded and grouped under major headings. After this qualitative content analysis procedure five dimensions affecting tourist experiences were revealed as; social interaction, local authentic clues, service, culture/heritage and challenge. Therefore the study offers a framework of dimensions impacting cultural tourist experiences. Reinforcements from literature and respondent statements are also presented. Various implications have also been suggested especially on tourism policy and planning, itinerary design, marketing communications and local involvement. The study proposes valuable empirical findings for destination planners, travel trade professionals, product managers as well as scholars for implications and future research. The main limitation of the study is that the type and intensity of experiences might differ based on personal, spatial and tripographic factors. However this study is among the first research concerning cultural tourist experiences conducted in a destination with diverse offerings and international clientele. Future studies investigating various detinations and travellers with different bacgrounds might offer valuable insight in validating the findings.

Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management

International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management

The Service Industries Journal

International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research

Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management

Information Technology & Tourism, 2016

Revenue management (RM) is a strategic tool used by tourism industry to balance demand and invent... more Revenue management (RM) is a strategic tool used by tourism industry to balance demand and inventory at optimum prices. RM is also becoming increasingly important for hospitality organizations with significant improvements on profits. Yet, RM is a complicated strategy,
demanding various skills, abilities, technology and integration of different variables in the process offering the right prices, for the right customers, at the right time. Because of various inherent characteristics (e.g. capacity), internal (e.g. inadequate staff) and external challenges
(e.g. changes in distribution channels), SMHEs (Small and Medium Sized Hospitality Enterprises) are not able to fully benefit from RM as their larger contestants. This creates problems as to competitiveness of SMHEs. Most local independent hotels are SMHEs, and they make a significant part of the industry. SMHEs also make destination development more sustainable. Thus for the survival of these hotels, their empowerment to compete with large, branded chain hotels is critical. Adoption of more efficient RM strategies is one of the tools that might be used to empower SMHEs. The purpose of this study is to explore revenue management challenges for SMHEs through in depth interviews conducted with SMHEs’ executives and managers of service companies that sell RM systems. After classification of the RM challenges faced by SMHEs, using content analysis of the transcribed data the study also aims to offer various solutions for RM challenges and suggest implications for a more competitive SMHE industry.

Determining the employees' turnover intention in pre-opening hotel businesses is important for th... more Determining the employees' turnover intention in pre-opening hotel businesses is important for the hospitality industry who have to bear the costs of employment and in-service training. This study aims to examine the relation between of the employees who are recruited by opening hotel businesses and their turnover intentions. A questionnaire was utilized on 151 employees who worked at six 5-Star pre-opening hotels in Istanbul. Respondents were selected based on convenience sampling method. According to the results of the study, turnover intentions of the employees in opening hotel businesses are low. It was also found that there is difference on turnover intention based on gender variable.

Customer experience is acknowledged as a dominant objective for organizational strategy, affectin... more Customer experience is acknowledged as a dominant objective for organizational strategy, affecting
sustainable differentiation from competition. However concerning planning, application and measurement
of experiences literature has failed to create a universal continuum. This study based on a qualitative
inquiry with 22 upscale hotel managers, uses the value chain concept in order to determine the activities
affecting customers’ experiential value for services. Interviews with managers were content analyzed and
compared with relevant literature before experiential value creating activities were grouped under human
resources, technology, procurement & strategic alliances, and physical design.

The growing internet usage stemming from the development and enlargement of technology created a ... more The growing internet usage stemming from the development and enlargement of
technology created a different communication platform between consumers and brands and
user e-reviews on the internet became more important than ever. Another emerging issue
that determines the success of organizations is their ability to create positive experiences
to their customers. Tourism in general and hospitality industry in particular are experience
intensive services. Small hotels serving in the hospitality industry relatively have limited
physical facilities and capacity, yet they are expected to compete with their branded and
larger competitors offering various amenities in their facilities. The boutique hotels in
Istanbul have been able to create such positive guest experiences and charge much higher
rates than industry average. Therefore studying the characteristics of guest experiences
created by boutique hotels is important in order to reveal components of experiential value.
The aim of this study is to explain the importance of classification of internet e-reviews in
the context of boutique hotels in Turkey. Although guest e-reviews and their impact on
guest experiences are important, little attention has been paid in the literature. In this study,
the importance of guest e-reviews in terms of accommodation establishments will be
explained through a qualitative phenomenology by analysing guest comments posted on
tripadvisor. The comments posted by guests in social media are considered as experiences
since they are remembered after the stay and are worth to be shared with others. Being
memorable and worth to share with others are typical characteristics of customer
experiences. The collected data after this netnographic study is content analysed. A
typology of these reviews and implications are offered.

Offering memorable experiences to travelers has been discussed as an important factor for the fut... more Offering memorable experiences to travelers has been discussed as an important factor for the future of destinations. These experiences are defined as memorable events, interactions and observations in the destination that engage tourists in a personal way and lead to positive customer behaviors such as loyalty and word of mouth. Interactions with locals are also mentioned as a sought after desire for leisure tourists. One of the components of destination experience is hospitableness of locals. The quality of the host-guest interaction might be an important factor affecting overall experiences of tourists visiting a destination. However hospitality generally refers to a sector of tourism industry, there is a need to distinguish between commercial and traditional hospitality. This study after a series of semi-structured interviews with tourists explores the dimensions of traditional hospitality in a Turkish urban destination, Istanbul. The interviews conducted were transcribed verbatim, color coded and content analyzed. The factors that define traditional hospitality from the perspective of tourists were identified as friendliness/outgoing/sincerity/, care/protection/helpfulness and generosity/desire to please. Identifying the factors of traditional hospitality might have an important effect on provision of commercial hospitality. Adopting these dimensions in facilities that serve tourists, the organizations can better create positive tourist experiences which would in return increase loyalty and recommendation behaviors. The study also suggests various implications for destination planners and practitioner as well as directions for future research.

Positive word-of-mouth from customers is a sought after desire for any organization. Inter-consum... more Positive word-of-mouth from customers is a sought after desire for any organization. Inter-consumer influence is directly related to company image, customer satisfaction, retention and acquisition, overall costs and profits. With the advancement of technology, the impact of recommendation (electronic word of mouth) as a reliable source of product information is ever increasing as the customers are able to interact in a very large scale through electronic mediums.

Some products and services such as automobiles, financial services and tourism require high involvement from customers’ perspective as they involve high risk and a larger amount of finances. Tourism is an intangible service, and bought less frequently. It is harder to evaluate it prior to actual consumption. In order to minimize the risk, tourists spend a great amount of time, effort and money for a vacation without unpleasant surprises. This is why they tend to rely heavily on recommendations of experienced travellers. The easiest way to reach this valuable information is through internet. Most tourism services are available online, there are also forums, newsgroups, blogs and commercial web sites that offer traveller comments and ratings. Web is considered as the most important source of information by most travellers.

However in order for this information to be presented at travel sites (e.g. tripadvisor) it should be uploaded in advance by a traveller who “have been there and done that”. Therefore it is very important to identify those advocates who are likely to spread positive word of mouth through electronic channels. This study after the literature review and an empirical study on hotel guests in Turkey, tries to identify customers who are more likely to create eWOM (electronic word of mouth). Describing the characteristics of those opinion leaders would help hospitality organizations to better serve those clients and improve their likelihood to reach new customers.

The importance of Electronic Word of mouth on business performance is ever increasing because of ... more The importance of Electronic Word of mouth on business performance is ever increasing because of wider use of internet and growth of customer comment sites. Both posisitve and negative comments can be seen as an opportunity for organizations. By facilitating and analyzing the customer comments, the businesses can better determine their weaknesses from the perspectives of customers and would be in a better position to turn them into strengths. Efficient handling of complaints might turn a dissatisfied customer even into a loyal one. Complaint management has also been a significant issue for service firms where purchases are mostly intangible in nature.
Travel agencies are intermediaries that coordinate various services, supplied by different vendors and peeople. They act as the middleman between the customer and various suppliers that create a tour package. From the customer perspective tours are high risk purchases, customers do have little concrete information about most of the services included in their package, transportation, guiding and even accommodation facilities are opaque in many ways. Even when the standarts are well established, there are many instances promises mentioned on promotional material have not been realized. Therefore customers rely on expeiences and comments of previous users when they decide on the reliability of the tour operator and the quality of its services.
This study examines the negative comments of customers based on a content analysis of comments posted on sikayetvar.com about travel agencies operating in Turkey and targetting Turkish tourists. Sikayetvar.com is the largest complaint site in Turkey considering number of members. 1209 negative comments on the services of 10 travel agencies were analyzed, read and coded by the authors to identify the categories of customer complaints from tour operators in a turkish tourism setting. The findings of the study might be used to improve service quality and complaint handling process of travel trade.

Customer experience is acknowledged as a dominant objective for organizational strategy, affectin... more Customer experience is acknowledged as a dominant objective for organizational strategy, affecting sustainable differentiation from competition. However concerning planning, application and measurement of experiences literature has failed to create a universal continuum. This study based on a qualitative inquiry with 22 upscale hotel managers, uses the value chain concept in order to determine the activities affecting customers’ experiential value for services. Interviews with managers were content analyzed and compared with relevant literature before experiential value creating activities were grouped under human resources, technology, procurement & strategic alliances, and physical design.

This paper discusses the role of Turkish Airlines (Turkish National Carrier) in development of to... more This paper discusses the role of Turkish Airlines (Turkish National Carrier) in development of tourism in various sub-destinations of Turkey. Studying Turkish airlines (THY) is important as the Turkish Flag Carrier has been challenging the global airline industry by regularly adding new routes (currently the widest in Europe) and increasing the frequencies of existing routes as well. Turkish airlines is also considered to be a quality service airline, awarded with various international prizes. Considering accessibility of a destination as an important determinant of success of tourism development, airlines have prime role in growth tourist numbers in a region. Therefore this study aims to analyze the impact of air accessibility of destinations on the number of arrivals to the destinations by analyzing secondary statistical information acquired from Turkish Airlines and airport customs.

Although experiences are critical for destinations’ success, offering a theoretical framework of ... more Although experiences are critical for destinations’ success, offering a theoretical framework of tourist experience has been difficult task for researchers. Creating, managing and evaluating tourist experiences have also been a challenging objective for destination planners and travel trade. Tourists are different and they hold various expectations, making the concept of experience a relative attribute. There is not a single experience, but several experiences for different market segments (Vega, Casielles, & Martin, 1995).
This study adopts a qualitative method to facilitate closing the gap between importance of and research in tourist experience through examining the experiences of tourists from Middle Eastern countries. The paper first briefly conceptualizes the structure of tourist experience concept. Then Middle Eastern tourist experiences are discussed in the framework of factors found after a qualitative study.

Tourism is a growing international activity despite economic crises, political conflicts and natu... more Tourism is a growing international activity despite economic crises, political conflicts and natural disasters. Tourism is also becoming more global, with advancements in technology and relaxation on visa processes the dominance of western tourist generating countries international tourism is shifting. Far East, Middle East and CIS countries’ growth rates of outgoing tourists are remarkable. Although the importance of these emerging regions has been acknowledged, the research on tourism has long been focused on Western tourists. Among these markets Middle east is the fastest growing market with a 3,4% annual growth between 2000-2010. Middle East region has supplied 36,2 million tourists in 2010, an increase from 8,2 million in 1990. It would not be surprising to see this trend continue as the population of the area has also expected to shift from 250 million to 400 million by 2050 (UNWTO, 2012) .

Current consumer research on tourism is focused on western societies and neglects most eastern cultures especially the Muslim world. Although Middle East tourist market is among emerging geographical segments for World tourism demand there is a lack of research on their needs, experiences and behaviors. According to UNWTO (2012) Middle East countries include; Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Especially gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar) account for 75% of total expenditure from the Middle East countries. This study examines the tourist experiences of Middle Eastern tourists visiting Istanbul. Istanbul is a popular destination for international travelers and it is also attracting a large share of Middle East tourist market mainly because of cultural and geographic proximity.

The quantitative analysis is based on extant literature and interviews conducted, transcribed and content analyzed with Middle East tourists. The survey includes demographic, tripographic questions and statements about tourist experiences as well as intention to return and recommend to others. The findings of the study is expected to reveal important information about Middle Eastern tourists overall experiences in a destination. The findings can also facilitate a better planning, decision making and product design for tourism professionals and destination planners who intent to attract more visitors from Middle East as a growing market segment.

Importance of emotional expression have been acknowledged in tourism industry because of its labo... more Importance of emotional expression have been acknowledged in tourism industry because of its labor intensive characteristics. The emotional expression not only impact satisfaction of customers but also organizational communications. Therefore emotional expression should be considered among important skills of students in tourism schools. This study aims to identify the relationship between emotional expression skills and various demographic and social factors using mean difference tests and correlation. The analysis of data collected from 184 students revealed that social skills differ among different ages and almost all of the social factors are correlated with the social skills of students except usage of social media.

Tourism is a growing international activity, with economic, social and environmental outcomes. Al... more Tourism is a growing international activity, with economic, social and environmental outcomes. Although governments are focused on the economic benefits created through international tourism movements, the environmental conflicts and social side effects are often neglected. Because of various economic needs, and lobbying power of tourism elites, sustainable tourism is looked over by most of the governments and tourism industry. This paper outlines a general framework for lodging taxes as a compensation tool through previous literature, states advantages and disadvantages of lodging taxes and suggest implementation strategies based on qualitative interviews with tourism industry elites in Istanbul.

Customer experiences in tourism are considered as an important factor affecting consumer value, l... more Customer experiences in tourism are considered as an important factor affecting consumer value, loyalty and positive word of mouth. Although tourist experiences are critical for destinations’ success, offering a theoretical framework for experiences has been a challenging objective for researchers. Since tourism is and experience intensive activity, functional frameworks and scales are not always able to explain the extraordinary, non-routine and unique behaviors of travellers. Thus the purpose of this paper is to discuss overall cultural tourist experiences and explore main dimensions of cultural tourist experiences in the light of Istanbul.

In order to reach this objective after an extensive literature review; a qualitative technique based on semi-structured interviews was chosen. The instrument included open ended questions concerning demographic and tripographic information as well as experience related questions that are created based on literature and expert feedback. The questions have also been tested on two respondents before finalized. The interviews were conducted between September – November 2013 with adult respondents visiting Istanbul. Screening criteria used for the interviewees were being above 18 years old, to have visited at least one cultural site or joined a cultural event in the city and have stayed in Istanbul for more than one full day. All interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim after each interview. Data saturation was reached after interviewing 21 tourists at random cultural sites, hotel lobbies and international airports. The 89 page data was read several times by authors before emerging items were colour coded and grouped under major headings.

After this qualitative content analysis procedure five dimensions affecting tourist experiences were revealed as; social interaction, local authentic clues, service, culture/heritage and challenge. Therefore the study offers a framework of dimensions impacting cultural tourist experiences. Reinforcements from literature and respondent statements are also presented. Various implications have also been suggested especially on tourism policy and planning, itinerary design, marketing communications and local involvement. The study proposes valuable empirical findings for destination planners, travel trade professionals, product managers as well as scholars for implications and future research. The main limitation of the study is that the type and intensity of experiences might differ based on personal, spatial and tripographic factors. However this study is among the first research concerning cultural tourist experiences conducted in a destination with diverse offerings and international clientele. Future studies investigating various detinations and travellers with different bacgrounds might offer valuable insight in validating the findings.

Tour Operation Business, 2021

Tourist product is composed of an amalgam of services and products that are brought together to c... more Tourist product is composed of an amalgam of services and products that are brought together to create an overall tourist experience. This multi-service product, by definition, includes a trip away and an overnight at the destination, and can either be created by the tourists themselves or by a tour operator. Travel trade is an important sector of the tourism industry responsible for packaging travel services and offering them to potential travelers. They also have an important role in commercialization of tourist products and destination development. Tour packages are usually cheaper, safer and more convenient for tourists. Hence, travel firms create the link between tourist products at the destination and the travelers. Tour operators even create and brand destinations. They take various risks and invest in the destination product ahead of the sales, hence they are an important stakeholder for tourism destination development. Despite there being extensive literature on transportation, accommodation, restaurants, attractions and events; the tour operators, their place in tourism system and their operations are neglected in education and research.
This book addresses this gap both in theory and practice. The first chapter discusses the nature of the tourism industry and tourism supply. Tourism resources, tourism types, tourist services and organizations are also explored in this section. The second chapter focuses on the tourist product, features of tourism as a service, standardization and distribution of tourism products. This chapter also introduces travel firms as both producers and intermediaries of tourism products and services. The third chapter focuses on the travel industry, defining travel agencies and tour operators. Differences between the two and different types of each are also detailed in this section. This book also recognizes tour guides as an important part of the tourism industry and a significant partner to travel firms. Tour guides, their roles, certification and their relationships with tour operators are examined in chapter four. Tourism education, its significance, characteristics and challenges are provided in chapter five. Chapter six delves into tour operation, its management and stages. The importance of tour operators for destination development, sustainability, branding and competition and their relationships with other stakeholders are examined in this chapter. Chapter six also explores ICT information and communication technology tools in tour operation, disintermediation and online travel agencies. This book is designed as a comprehensive destination management book as well. Hence the second part of the book delves into multinational tourism organizations, tourism types and offers case destinations for further discussion. The seventh chapter focuses on multinational corporations that invest in travel trade, including financial institutions. Vertical and horizontal integration in the industry and different types of investors are also examined in this chapter. Business travel and MICE tourism are discussed in chapter eight and nine. Their characteristics, types, operation, destination and choice factors are examined supported with sample itineraries, promotion kits and SWOT analysis. Faith tourism is another tourism type, explored in chapter ten. Istanbul and Anatolia as faith tourism destinations and their relationship with tourism are explored from the perspective of different stakeholders. Chapter eleven delves into culture tourism, which is another significant tourist segment for tour operators. Culture tourism is explored from the perspective of Istanbul and its cultural resources. This book, in chapter twelve, also makes a comparison between two popular destinations in Turkey: Antalya, the major leisure destination and Istanbul, the center for business travel and cultural tourism. The book finally concludes with an epilogue discussing the geopolitical dimensions of tourism and tourist flows.
As both authors are scholars with hands on experience in tour operation, who integrated theory with practice within the book and provided real life examples, illustrations and itineraries. It is very much hoped that the content will provide both theoretical and practical contributions and will be a useful resource for tour operator education and training.

Purpose The aim of this paper is to offer a conceptual model for tourist experiences in the desti... more Purpose
The aim of this paper is to offer a conceptual model for tourist experiences in the destination and suggest implications for different stakeholders in creating experiences for tourists.
Design/methodology/approach
This conceptual paper explores tourist experiences based on previous literature and through a brief case. A holistic destination experience model is also suggested including the role of DMOs, host community and industry which are considered under the overall experiencescape.
Findings
Literature review and analysis of case study suggest that the destination experience can be framed based on the roles of different actors in a destination. Characteristic of the destination and stakeholders do play important roles in involving tourists in experience production.
Practical implications
Findings might provide insights to DMOs and other stakeholders in the destination concerning their roles in creating a holistic positive destination experience for tourists which is crucial for differentiation. Future research might also concentrate on different elements of destination experience and interrelationships of different stakeholders.
Originality/value
Although there are numerous papers on experiences from individual services (e.g. hotels, airlines, restaurants) in the destination, literature on overall stakeholder and creation of holistic destination experience has been overlooked. This chapter offers a theoretical model that would assist policy-makers to design experiences in the destination by looking at the roles of different stakeholders and to improve the competitiveness of the destination.