The Role of Knowledge for the Positioning of a Destination to Culturally Different Markets

Abstract

Destinations are faced today with the challenge of having to position themselves in an increasingly mompetitive environment to poten tial tourists from different cultures. In this regard, knowledge management is an important tool for the development of destinations. Organizations need to obtain information that can be used to distinguish between different tourists, and to use this knowledge to establish strategies to access these diverse markets. The present study aims at illustrating how information can be used for destination develop­ment. The focus of the paper is on the need to distinguish between diverse markets and to evaluate statistical information obtained at the destination by taking into account the cultural diversity of the tourists. The study is based on a questionnaire distributed to Chinese and Russian tourists returning from their visits to Turkey. The results determine that there is a difference between the Chinese and the Russian in relation to their perceptions of the Turkish host community, and other variables such as the use of information sources. These findings are evaluated in relation to determining how knowledge management may assist tourism organizations to plan for the future, to set train­ing priorities for their human agents and to develop knowledge based support systems. Moreover, the research also points to different strategies for Turkey to access the Chinese and Russian markets.

Keywords

• tourist profile,tourist satisfaction,touristic places,attitudes,cultural differences,tourist perceptions,traveler,competitive power,information technologies,tourism planning

Bilginin Farklı Kültüre Göre Bir Varış Noktasının Konumlandırılmasındaki Rolü

Öz

Varış noktaları, daha rekabetçi hale gelen ortamda, kendilerini farklı kültürlerden gelen potansiyel turistlere göre konumlandırma zorluğu ile karşı karşıya kalmaktadır. Bu açıdan bilgi yönetimi, varış noktasının gelişimi için önemli bir araçtır. Kurumların farklı turistleri ayırt etmek için bilgi edinmelerini ve bilgiyi, stratejiler geliştirirken farklı pazarlara ulaşmada kullanmalarını sağlar. Çalışma, varış noktasının gelişiminde bilginin nasıl kullanılabileceğini belirlemiştir. Araştırma, farklı pazarları ayırt etme ve turistlerin kültürel farklılıklarını dikkate alarak, varış noktasından elde edilen istatistiksel bilgileri değerlendirme gereksinimi üzerine odaklanmaktadır. Türkiye gezilerinden geri dönen Çinli ve Rus turistlerle ankete dayalı bir ön çalışma yapılmıştır. Sonuçlar, Çinlilerin ve Rusların, ev sahibi Türk toplumu ile ilgili algıları ve bilgi kaynaklarının kullanımı gibi değişkenler açısından birbirinden farklı olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Bulgular, bilgi yönetiminin turizm organizasyonlarını gelecek için plan yapma, iş görenleri için eğitim önceliklerini saptama ve bilgi tabanlı sistemlerin geliştirmesi açısından değerlendirilmiştir. Araştırma, Türkiye'nin Çin ve Rus pazarlarına erişimi için farklı stratejilere gereksinimi olduğunu belirlemiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• turist profili,turist memnuniyeti,turistik alanlar,tutumlar,kültürel farklılıklar,turist algılamaları,gezgin,rekabet gücü,bilgi teknolojileri,turizm planlaması

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