Research Article
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Sustainability in the Age of Pandemic: A Study on Proactive Crisis Communication in Social Media by Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Year 2022, Issue: 39, 132 - 153, 29.04.2022
https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1019836

Abstract

The tourism sector has an important role in the development and continuity of a country’s environmental
activities. For this reason, its effectiveness should be maintained in situations that may adversely affect the
sector, such as natural disasters or epidemics. The main purpose of the study is to examine the proactive
crisis communication efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Twitter from the perspective of
sustainability during the coronavirus pandemic period. In this context, 1626 posts were shared by the
Ministry of Culture and Tourism on the official Twitter account named “@TCKulturTurizm” in 20 months,
and a total of 11 thousand 293 comments on these posts were divided into four periods and analyzed by
data mining technique; R Programming Language and libraries were used in the process of collecting,
recording, processing, analyzing and visualizing data. The posts within the scope of the research and
the comments on these posts were interpreted from the perspective of proactive crisis management and
sustainability. During the coronavirus period, the interaction (like reply and re-sharing (RT) averages) on
the Twitter posts of the ministry increased periodically. Although the comments on the Twitter posts of
the Ministry show the efforts of people to convey their victimhood caused by the pandemic, related posts
were not found sufficient in terms of sustainability-oriented content within the scope of proactive crisis
communication. During the pandemic process, stakeholders need to be informed accurately with data
from reliable tourism-related sources, and they should be protected from receiving false information, fake
news, or exaggerated reports that may cause fear. For this reason, it is recommended that the ministry
should base proactive communication and sustainability on the use of social media.

References

  • Carvalho, B. H., Bertozzi, G. G., & Correa, C. (2020). Video games generating tourist demand: Italy and the Assassin’s Creed series. A. Sharma (Dü.) içinde, Sustainable tourism development: futuristic approaches. Apple Academic Press, Canadiana (ebook).
  • Choe, Y., Wang, J., & Song, H. (2020). The impact of the middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus on inbound tourism in South Korea towards sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. doi:10.1 080/09669.582.2020.1797057
  • El-Gohary, H. (2020). Coronavirus and halal tourism and hospitality industry: Is it a journey to the unknown? Sustainability, 12, 9260. doi:10.3390/su12219260
  • Erdoğan, İ. (2012). Pozitivist metodoloji ve ötesi araştırma tasarımları niteliksel ve istatistiksel yöntemler. Ankara: Erk Yayınları.
  • Fermani, A., Sergi, M. R., Carrieri, A., Crespi, I., Picconi, L., & Saggino, A. (2020). Sustainable tourism and facilities preferences: The sustainable tourist stay scale (STSS) validation. Sustainability(12), 9767. doi:10.3390/su12229767
  • Gharavi, E., Nazemi, N., & Dadgostari, F. (2020). Early outbreak detection for proactive crisis management using Twitter data: COVID-19 a case study in the US. ArXiv. doi:abs/2005.00475
  • Gharavi, E., Nazemi, N., & Dadgostari, F. (2020). Early Outbreak Detection for Proactive Crisis Management Using Twitter Data: COVID-19 a Case Study in the US. ArXiv. doi:abs/2005.00475
  • Ioannides, D., & Gyimothy, S. (2020). COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for escaping the unsustainable global tourism path. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 624-632. doi:10.1080/14616.688.2020.1763445
  • Marrewijk, M. v. (2003). Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: Between agency and communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 44, 95-105. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:102.333.1212247
  • Nunes, S., & Cooke, P. (2021). New global tourism innovation in a postcoronavirus era. European Planning Studies, 29(1), 1-19.
  • Romagosa, F. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for sustainable and proximity tourism. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 690-694. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14616.688.2020.1763447
  • Scoones, I. (2007). Sustainability. Development in Practice, 17(4-5). doi:10.1080/096.145.20701469609
  • Shklovski, I., Burke, M., Kiesler, S., & Kraut, R. (2008). Technology adoption and use in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Position paper for the HCI for Emergencies workshop Conference on Human Factors in Computing (CHI 2008). Florence: CHI2008.
  • Sjoberg, U. (2018). It is not about facts – it is about framing. The app generation’s information seeking tactics: Proactive online crisis communication. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(1), 127-137. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12145
  • Şahin, İ., & Güzel, F. Ö. (2020). Olumsuz güncel gelişmelerin ve krizlerin Türk turizmine etkileri: Profesyonel turist rehberlerinin değerlendirmeleri ve sektörel çözüm önerileri. İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 7(2), 257-280. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.541284
  • Tang, Z., Miller, A. S., Zhou, Z., & Warkentin, M. (2021). Does government social media promote users’ information security behavior towards COVID-19 scams? Cultivation effects and protective motivations. Government Information Quarterly, 38(2), 101572. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2021.101572
  • Thornicroft, G., Mehta, N., Clement, S., Evans-Locko, S., Doherty, M., Rose, D., . . . Henderson, C. (2016). Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet, 387(10023). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00298-6
  • Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlığı. (2022). Cumhurbaşkanlığı kabinesi. 02 23, 2022 tarihinde https://www. tccb.gov.tr/kabine/ adresinden alındı
  • World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future: Report of the world commission on environment and development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • World Tourism Organization. (2020). Supporting Jobs and Economies through Travel & Tourism – A Call for Action to Mitigate the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Accelerate Recovery. Madrid: UNWTO.
  • Yang, F. X., & Wong, I. A. (2020). The social crisis aftermath: tourist well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(6), 859-878. doi:10.1080/09669.582.2020.1843047
  • Zheng, B., Lui, H., & Davison, R. M. (2018). Exploring the relationship between corporate reputation and the public’s crisis communication on social media. Public Relations Review, 44(1), 56-64. doi:https://doi. org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.12.006

Pandemi Çağında Sürdürülebilirlik: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığının Sosyal Medyada Proaktif Kriz İletişimi Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Year 2022, Issue: 39, 132 - 153, 29.04.2022
https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1019836

Abstract

Turizm sektörü, bir ülkenin çevresel faaliyetlerinin gelişiminde ve devamlılığında önemli bir role sahiptir. Bu
nedenle, doğal afetler veya salgın hastalıklar gibi sektörü olumsuz etkileyebilecek durumlarda bile etkinliği
sürdürülmelidir. Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, koronavirüs pandemisi döneminde T.C. Kültür ve Turizm
Bakanlığının Twitter paylaşımlarındaki proaktif kriz iletişimi çabalarını, sürdürülebilirlik perspektifinden
incelemektir. Bu kapsamda, bakanlığın 20 aylık süreçte “@TCKulturTurizm” adlı resmi Twitter hesabında
paylaştığı, 1626 gönderi ve bu gönderilere yazılan toplamda 11 bin 293 yorum dört ayrı döneme ayrılarak
veri madenciliği tekniği ile analiz edilmiş; verilerin toplanması, kaydedilmesi, işlenmesi, analiz edilmesi
ve görselleştirilmesi sürecinde R Programlama Dili ve kütüphanelerinden yararlanılmıştır. Araştırma
kapsamındaki paylaşımlar ve bu paylaşımlara gelen yorumlar, proaktif kriz yönetimi ve sürdürülebilirlik
perspektifinden yorumlanmıştır. Koronavirüs sürecinde bakanlığın Twitter paylaşımlarındaki etkileşim,
[beğeni, cevaplanma ve yeniden paylaşım (Retweet) ortalamaları] dönemsel olarak artmıştır. Bakanlığın Twitter paylaşımlarına gelen yorumlar, insanların pandemiden kaynaklanan mağduriyetlerini iletebilme
çabalarını gösterse de ilgili paylaşımlar, proaktif kriz iletişimi kapsamında sürdürülebilirliğe yönelik içerik
açısından yeterli bulunmamıştır. Pandemi sürecinde paydaşların turizm ile ilgili güvenilir kaynaklardan
gelen verilerle doğru biçimde bilgilendirilmeleri ve yanlış bilgiler, yalan haberler ya da korkuya neden
olabilecek abartılı bildirimler almaktan korunmaları gerekmektedir. Bu nedenle, bakanlığın sosyal medya
kullanımında proaktif iletişimi ve sürdürülebilirliği esas alması önerilmektedir.

References

  • Carvalho, B. H., Bertozzi, G. G., & Correa, C. (2020). Video games generating tourist demand: Italy and the Assassin’s Creed series. A. Sharma (Dü.) içinde, Sustainable tourism development: futuristic approaches. Apple Academic Press, Canadiana (ebook).
  • Choe, Y., Wang, J., & Song, H. (2020). The impact of the middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus on inbound tourism in South Korea towards sustainable tourism. Journal of Sustainable Tourism. doi:10.1 080/09669.582.2020.1797057
  • El-Gohary, H. (2020). Coronavirus and halal tourism and hospitality industry: Is it a journey to the unknown? Sustainability, 12, 9260. doi:10.3390/su12219260
  • Erdoğan, İ. (2012). Pozitivist metodoloji ve ötesi araştırma tasarımları niteliksel ve istatistiksel yöntemler. Ankara: Erk Yayınları.
  • Fermani, A., Sergi, M. R., Carrieri, A., Crespi, I., Picconi, L., & Saggino, A. (2020). Sustainable tourism and facilities preferences: The sustainable tourist stay scale (STSS) validation. Sustainability(12), 9767. doi:10.3390/su12229767
  • Gharavi, E., Nazemi, N., & Dadgostari, F. (2020). Early outbreak detection for proactive crisis management using Twitter data: COVID-19 a case study in the US. ArXiv. doi:abs/2005.00475
  • Gharavi, E., Nazemi, N., & Dadgostari, F. (2020). Early Outbreak Detection for Proactive Crisis Management Using Twitter Data: COVID-19 a Case Study in the US. ArXiv. doi:abs/2005.00475
  • Ioannides, D., & Gyimothy, S. (2020). COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity for escaping the unsustainable global tourism path. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 624-632. doi:10.1080/14616.688.2020.1763445
  • Marrewijk, M. v. (2003). Concepts and definitions of CSR and corporate sustainability: Between agency and communion. Journal of Business Ethics, 44, 95-105. doi:https://doi.org/10.1023/A:102.333.1212247
  • Nunes, S., & Cooke, P. (2021). New global tourism innovation in a postcoronavirus era. European Planning Studies, 29(1), 1-19.
  • Romagosa, F. (2020). The COVID-19 crisis: Opportunities for sustainable and proximity tourism. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 690-694. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14616.688.2020.1763447
  • Scoones, I. (2007). Sustainability. Development in Practice, 17(4-5). doi:10.1080/096.145.20701469609
  • Shklovski, I., Burke, M., Kiesler, S., & Kraut, R. (2008). Technology adoption and use in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Position paper for the HCI for Emergencies workshop Conference on Human Factors in Computing (CHI 2008). Florence: CHI2008.
  • Sjoberg, U. (2018). It is not about facts – it is about framing. The app generation’s information seeking tactics: Proactive online crisis communication. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management, 26(1), 127-137. doi:10.1111/1468-5973.12145
  • Şahin, İ., & Güzel, F. Ö. (2020). Olumsuz güncel gelişmelerin ve krizlerin Türk turizmine etkileri: Profesyonel turist rehberlerinin değerlendirmeleri ve sektörel çözüm önerileri. İstanbul Gelişim Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 7(2), 257-280. doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.17336/igusbd.541284
  • Tang, Z., Miller, A. S., Zhou, Z., & Warkentin, M. (2021). Does government social media promote users’ information security behavior towards COVID-19 scams? Cultivation effects and protective motivations. Government Information Quarterly, 38(2), 101572. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2021.101572
  • Thornicroft, G., Mehta, N., Clement, S., Evans-Locko, S., Doherty, M., Rose, D., . . . Henderson, C. (2016). Evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental-health-related stigma and discrimination. The Lancet, 387(10023). doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00298-6
  • Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Cumhurbaşkanlığı. (2022). Cumhurbaşkanlığı kabinesi. 02 23, 2022 tarihinde https://www. tccb.gov.tr/kabine/ adresinden alındı
  • World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future: Report of the world commission on environment and development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • World Tourism Organization. (2020). Supporting Jobs and Economies through Travel & Tourism – A Call for Action to Mitigate the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Accelerate Recovery. Madrid: UNWTO.
  • Yang, F. X., & Wong, I. A. (2020). The social crisis aftermath: tourist well-being during the COVID-19 outbreak. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 29(6), 859-878. doi:10.1080/09669.582.2020.1843047
  • Zheng, B., Lui, H., & Davison, R. M. (2018). Exploring the relationship between corporate reputation and the public’s crisis communication on social media. Public Relations Review, 44(1), 56-64. doi:https://doi. org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2017.12.006
There are 22 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language Turkish
Subjects Communication and Media Studies
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Başak Solmaz 0000-0003-2157-7290

Bahar Urhan 0000-0001-5559-9311

Havva Nur Tarakcı 0000-0003-4313-9427

Doğan Can Gazaz 0000-0002-8133-690X

Publication Date April 29, 2022
Submission Date November 5, 2021
Published in Issue Year 2022 Issue: 39

Cite

APA Solmaz, B., Urhan, B., Tarakcı, H. N., Gazaz, D. C. (2022). Pandemi Çağında Sürdürülebilirlik: T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığının Sosyal Medyada Proaktif Kriz İletişimi Üzerine Bir Araştırma. Türkiye İletişim Araştırmaları Dergisi(39), 132-153. https://doi.org/10.17829/turcom.1019836

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