BASE STATIONS IN THE TOURISM SECTOR: APPLICATIONS FOCUSED ON HEALTH, SAFETY, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Abstract

Base stations are among the most critical communication infrastructures of the digital age. This study focuses on base stations operating with radio frequency signals. It is suggested that considering the health impacts of base stations could enhance guest satisfaction in hospitality businesses. Within this scope, free mobile applications were utilized to determine the locations of base stations, and the private information of 13 hotel enterprises selected through convenience sampling was coded and evaluated using digital maps. Additionally, the distances between hospitality businesses and base stations were calculated and assessed based on the safe zones defined in the literature. All the hotel enterprises included in the study are five-star hotels, and it was observed that no information regarding the safe zone distances of base stations was shared on their official websites. A total of 1061 base stations were identified around the hotels forming the sample, with 452 located within the safe zone, 279 outside the safe zone, and 329 at an intermediate distance. Considering the increasing importance of research on the health impacts of base stations, various recommendations were developed for hotel enterprises located outside the safe zone. It was proposed that hotels within the safe zone could enhance customer satisfaction by sharing this information on their official websites, while those outside the safe zone should plan preventive measures, with suggestions provided on what these measures could entail.

Keywords

• Base stations
• Tourism Management
• Sustainability
• Health.

TURİZM SEKTÖRÜNDE BAZ İSTASYONLARI: SAĞLIK, GÜVENLİK VE SÜRDÜRÜLEBİLİRLİK TEMELLİ UYGULAMALAR

Abstract

Baz istasyonları, dijital çağın en önemli iletişim altyapılarından biri olmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, radyo frekansı sinyalleriyle çalışan baz istasyonları ele alınmıştır. Baz istasyonlarının genel sağlık durumu üzerindeki etkilerinin dikkate alınmasının konaklama işletmelerinde misafir memnuniyetini artırabileceği düşünülmektedir. Bu kapsamda, baz istasyonlarının yerlerini belirlemek için ücretsiz mobil uygulamalar kullanılmış ve kolayda örneklem yöntemiyle seçilen 13 otel işletmesinin özel bilgileri kodlanarak dijital haritalar üzerinden değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Ayrıca konaklama işletmelerinin baz istasyonları ile arasındaki mesafe hesaplanarak, literatürde güvenli alan olarak belirlenen alan üzerinden değerlendirmelerde bulunulmuştur. Araştırmaya dahil edilen otel işletmelerinin tamamı beş yıldızlı otel işletmeleridir ve resmi internet sitelerinde baz istasyonlarına dair güvenli alan mesafelerine ilişkin herhangi bir bilginin paylaşılmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Araştırmanın örneklemini oluşturan otel işletmelerinin çevresinde toplam 1061 baz istasyonu tespit edilmiş olup, bunlardan 452’sinin işetmelerin güvenli alanında, 279’unun güvenli alan dışında ve 329’unun ise orta mesafede bulunduğu belirlenmiştir. Baz istasyonlarının insan sağlığına etkileriyle ilgili araştırmaların önem kazandığı günümüzde güvenli alan dışında kalan otel işletmelerine yönelik çeşitli öneriler geliştirilmiştir. Güvenli alan içinde yer alan otel işletmelerinin bu bilgiyi resmi internet sitelerinde paylaşmasının müşteri memnuniyetini artırabileceği, güvenli alan dışında yer alan işletmelerin ise önleyici faaliyetler planlaması gerektiği ve bu faaliyetlerin neler olabileceği konusunda öneriler geliştirilmiştir.

Keywords

• Baz istasyonları
• Turizm İşletmeleri
• Sürdürülebilirlik
• Sağlık.

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