VISUAL SENSE OF THE CITIES AND THE IMPACT ON TOURISM: CASE OF IZMIR

Abstract

The needs and expectations of customers are changing day by day in tourism industry. As a result of the increased numbers of the international tourist and tourism activities in recent years, countries and cities have started to compete fiercely. Many different methods are being developed to compete under these conditions. According to this study, identifying the five senses of the cities and to use as a competitive factor in tourism are the important methods. Every cities carry their own senses as “Sights (Visual), Sounds (Auditory), Touch (Tactile), Smells (Olfactory), Tastes (Gustatory).” All these factors have an impact on their perceptions created by the cities. In this case, it is important for tourism development of cities. The purpose of this study is to identify visual sense of the cities and provide an impact on the tourism development of this perception. To quantify this phenomenon, image based research technique was used in this study which covered qualitative data collection techniques in Izmir. As a conclusion of this paper, visual sense of Izmir has been identified and using of the determining factors have been examined in terms of tourism.

Keywords

• Visual Image, Tourism, Destinations, Izmir