The Impact of Digital Storytelling on Destination Choice and Tourist Experience: The Case of Göbekli Tepe

Öz

This study explores the influence of digital storytelling (DS) on tourists’ destination preferences and travel experiences. DS, encompassing texts, visuals, and videos shared via social media, blogs, and online platforms, plays an important role in promoting destinations. Particularly, digital narratives help shape tourists’ pre-travel expectations and influence their destination selection process. Using a qualitative approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 tourists from different cities in Turkey who visited Göbeklitepe. Additionally, 321 Tripadvisor reviews were analyzed through content analysis. Findings show that tourists' pre-visit perceptions were shaped by digital stories centered on themes such as the Neolithic era, belief systems, and architecture. However, actual experiences only partially aligned with initial expectations. While historical and mystical elements in the narratives increased motivation to visit, factors like physical conditions and service quality significantly affected satisfaction levels. The study concludes that although digital storytelling is an important factor influencing destination choices, the overall tourist experience is also shaped by tangible and service-related elements that should not be overlooked.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Digital storytelling
• destination choice
• tourist experience
• travel expectations

Dijital Hikâye Anlatıcılığının Destinasyon Tercihi ve Turistik Deneyime Etkisi: Göbekli Tepe Örneği

Öz

Bu çalışma, dijital hikâye anlatıcılığının (DHA) turistlerin destinasyon tercihi ve turistik deneyimleri üzerindeki etkisini incelemektedir. DHA, sosyal medya, bloglar ve çevrimiçi platformlarda paylaşılan metin, görsel ve videolar aracılığıyla destinasyonların tanıtımında etkili bir rol oynamaktadır. Özellikle dijital hikâyeler, seyahat öncesi turistlerin beklentilerini şekillendirerek destinasyon seçim sürecinde belirleyici olmaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında nitel yöntem kullanılmış ve Türkiye’nin farklı şehirlerinden Göbeklitepe’yi ziyaret eden 39 turist ile yarı yapılandırılmış görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca, 321 Tripadvisor yorumu içerik analizi yöntemiyle incelenmiştir. Katılımcıların dijital hikayelerden etkilenerek seyahat öncesi algıları “Neolitik dönem, inanç, mimari yapı” temalarıyla şekillenmiştir. Araştırmadaki katılımcıların destinasyon ziyareti sonrasında ise, seyahat öncesi algılarıyla kısmen örtüşen bulgular tespit edilmiştir. Bulgular, dijital hikâyelerin turistlerin seyahat motivasyonlarını artırdığını, ancak az da olsa bazı durumlardaki beklentilerin gerçekte yaşanan deneyimlerle tam olarak örtüşmediğini göstermektedir. Özellikle, tarihî ve mistik anlatılar ziyaretçileri etkilerken, fiziksel koşullar ve hizmet kalitesi gibi faktörler memnuniyeti olumlu ya da olumsuz olarak doğrudan etkilemektedir. Sonuç olarak, dijital hikâye anlatıcılığı destinasyon tercihini etkileyen bir faktör olsa da, turistlerin deneyimlerini şekillendiren unsurlar arasında fiziksel ve hizmet odaklı faktörlerin de göz önünde bulundurulması gerekmektedir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Dijital hikâye anlatıcılığı
• destinasyon tercihi
• turistik deneyim
• seyahat beklentileri

Kaynakça

1. Alvarez-Diaz, M., Villanueva-Villar, M., & Rivo-López, E. (2022). Analyzing the main determinants of being a cultural traveler: The case of domestic cultural trips in Spain. Journal of Tourism Futures, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-10-2021-0237
2. An, S., Choi, Y., & Lee, C.-K. (2021). Virtual travel experience and destination marketing: Effects of sense and information quality on flow and visit intention. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 19, 100492. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2020.100492
3. Barbu, F. S., Sanda, G., Rusu, C. M., & Balint, P. G. (2024, M). The impact of social networks on the choice of tourist destinations. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, 18(1), 2327-2343. The Bucharest University of Economic Studies. https://doi.org/10.2478/picbe-2024-0197
4. Bejaoui, A., Rahayu, A., & Dirgantari, P. (2024). The social media usage and their effect on tourism marketing behavior: A study among university international students in Indonesia. Ekonomis: Journal of Economics and Business, 8(2), 1151-1155. http://dx.doi.org/10.33087/ekonomis.v8i2.1655
5. Ben Youssef, K., Leicht, T., & Marongiu, L. (2018). Storytelling in the context of destination marketing: an analysis of conceptualisations and impact measurement. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 27(8), 696–713. https://doi.org/10.1080/0965254X.2018.1464498
6. Casillo, M., Santo, M. D., Lombardi, M., Mosca, R., Santaniello, D., & Valentino, C. (2021). Recommender systems and digital storytelling to enhance tourism experience in cultural heritage sites. 2021 IEEE International Conference on Smart Computing (SMARTCOMP), Irvine, CA, USA. https://doi.org/10.1109/SMARTCOMP52413.2021.00067
7. Cahyani, I. P., Mardani, P. B., & Widianingsih, Y. (2023). Digital storytelling in cultural tourism: A sustainable communication approach at the Lasem Heritage Foundation. International Journal of Management, Entrepreneurship, Social Science and Humanities, 6(1), 45–69. https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v6i1.1348
8. Calvi, L., & Hover, M. (2021). Storytelling for mythmaking in tourist destinations. Leisure Sciences, 43(6), 630-643. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2021.1908193

9. Chen, Y., Liu, Y., Wu, L., & Li, X. (Robert). (2022). How does mobile social media sharing benefit travel experiences? Journal of Travel Research, 62(4), 841-858. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875221098936
10. Cuomo, M. T., Tortora, D., Foroudi, P., Giordano, A., Festa, G., & Metallo, G. (2021). Digital transformation and tourist experience co-design: Big social data for planning cultural tourism. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 162, 120345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120345
11. Deb, S. K., Nafi, S. M., & Valeri, M. (2024). Promoting tourism business through digital marketing in the new normal era: A sustainable approach. European Journal of Innovation Management, 27(3), 775-799. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJIM-04-2022-0218
12. Fonseca, P., Martins, M. L., & Pereir, J. (2024). Photography and digital storytelling in English for tourism classroom. Educational Media International, 61(1-2), 57-74, https://doi.org/10.1080/095239 87.2024.2357951
13. Frias, A., Raskova, E., Costa, Á., & Cabral, J. (2021).Obtaining Data Values from Tourist Preferences. Sustainability, 13(18), 10276. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131810276
14. Gaspari, F., Ioli, F., Barbieri, F., Rivieri, C., Dondi, M., & Pinto, L. (2023). Rediscovering cultural heritage sites by interactive 3D exploration: A practical review of open-source WebGL tools. 29th CIPA Symposium, Documenting, Understanding, Preserving Cultural Heritage: Humanities and Digital Technologies for Shaping the Future, Florence, Italy.
15. Ghaderi, Z., Mahdavizadeh, M. J., Rajabi, M., & Hall, C. M. (2023). Does storytelling affect destination image, destination personality, and tourists’ behavioural intention? Anatolia, 35(2), 313–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2023.2191250
16. Gholamhosseinzadeh, M. S., Chapuis, J. M., & Lehu, J. M. (2021). Tourism netnography: how travel bloggers influence destination image. Tourism Recreation Research, 48(2), 188–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2021.1911274
17. González-Rodríguez, M. R., Díaz-Fernández, M. C., Bilgihan, A., Okumus, F., & Shi, F. (2022). The impact of eWOM source credibility on destination visit intention and online involvement: A case of Chinese tourists. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 13(5), 855–874. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-11-2021-0321
18. Ghorbani, M., & Azarnejad, N. (2021). An introduction to narrative tourism. Tourism of Culture, 2(6), 17–24. https://doi.org/10.22034/toc.2021.306119.1052
19. Grix, J. (2001). Demystifying postgraduate research: From MA to PhD. University of Birmingham Press.
20. Hussain, A., & Fusté-Forné, F. (2022). Enhancing regenerative tourism based on authenticity: marketing identity of visitor experiences in New Zealand. International Marketing Journal of Culture and Tourism, 1(2), 12–34. https://doi.org/10.33001/18355/IMJCT0104
21. Iglesias-Sánchez, P. P., Correia, M. B., Jambrino-Maldonado, C., & de las Heras-Pedrosa, C. (2020). Instagram as a co-creation space for tourist destination image-building: Algarve and Costa del Sol case studies. Sustainability, 12(7), 2793. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12072793
22. Kasemsarn, K., Harrison, D., & Nickpour, F. (2023). Applying inclusive design and digital storytelling to facilitate cultural tourism: A review and initial framework. Heritage, 6, 1411–1428. https://10.3390/heritage6020077
23. Kaur, J., & Kaur, J. (2023). Investigating the credibility of online travel reviews adoption in trip planning intention among Indian travellers. Turizam, 27(2), 66–91. https://doi.org/10.5937/turizam27-37875
24. Kirilenko, A. P., Stepchenkova, S. O., & Dai, X. (2021). Automated topic modeling of tourist reviews: Does the Anna Karenina principle apply? Tourism Management, 83, 104241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104241
25. Li, Y., Jiao, L., & Zhou, M. (2024). How does cultural heritage destination digitalization influence tourists’ attitudes? The role of constructive authenticity and technology-destination fit. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 41(2), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/10548408.2024.2311328
26. Liu, X., Lin, J., Jiang, X., Chang, T., & Lin, H. (2024). eWOM information richness and online user review behavior: Evidence from Tripadvisor. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 19(2), 880–898. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer19020046
27. Ma, J., Scott, N., & Wu, Y. (2024). Tourism destination advertising: Effect of storytelling and sensory stimuli on arousal and memorability. Tourism Review, 79(3), 671-687. https://doi.org/10.1108/TR-07-2022-0319
28. Mirzaalian, F., & Halpenny, E. (2021). Exploring destination loyalty: Application of social media analytics in a nature-based tourism setting. Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 20, 100598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdmm.2021.100598
29. Mishra, R., & Sajnani, M. (2020). Impact of uncontrolled marketing on tourists and tourist destinations: A theoretical analysis. International Journal on Emerging Technologies, 11(2), 434–440. Retrieved January 8, 2026,fromhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/344401740_Impact_of_uncontrolled_marketing_on_tourists_and_tourist_destinations_A_theoretical_analysis
30. Mo, L., Aris, A. B., & Yan, X. (2024). Digital display and storytelling: Creating an immersive experience of Lingnan costume cultural heritage tourism project. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 1366(1), 012047. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/1366/1/012047
31. Montargot, N., Férérol, M. E., & Kallmuenzer, A. (2021). Storytelling and digitalization as opportunities for spa towns. Current Issues in Tourism, 26(1), 91–104. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.2017410 Nguyen, C. P., Schinckus, C., & Su, T. D. (2020). Economic policy uncertainty and demand for international tourism: An empirical study. Tourism Economics, 26(8), 1415-1430. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816 619900584
32. Okanovic, V., Ivkovic-Kihic, I., Boskovic, D., Mijatovic, B., Prazina, I., Skaljo, E., & Rizvic, S. (2022). Interaction in eXtended reality applications for cultural heritage. Applied Sciences, 12(3), 1241. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12031241
33. Omeish, F., Sharabati, A. A. A., Abuhashesh, M., Al-Haddad, S., Nasereddin, A. Y., Alghizzawi, M., & Badran, O. N. (2024). The role of social media influencers in shaping destination image and intention to visit Jordan: The moderating impact of social media usage intensity. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 8(3), 1701–1714. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.ijdns.2024.2.017
34. Pachucki, C., Grohs, R., & Scholl-Grissemann, U. (2021). No story without a storyteller: The impact of the storyteller as a narrative element in online destination marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 61(8), 1703-1718. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472875211046052
35. Paiva, D., Carvalho, L., Brito-Henriques, E., Sousa, A. M., Soares, A. L., & Azambuja, S. T. (2023). Digital storytelling and hopeful last chance tourism experiences. Tourism Geographies, 25(5), 1428-1444. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2023.2224043
36. Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/200827786_SERVQUAL_A_Multiple-Item_Scale_for_Measuring_Consumer_Perceptions_of_Service_Quality
37. Pearce, J., Markwell, K., & Wilson, E. (2018). Tourism stories: An evaluation of destination and tourist storytelling online. In T. Young, P. Stolk, & G. McGinnis (Eds.), CAUTHE 2018: Get Smart: Paradoxes and Possibilities in Tourism, Hospitality and Events Education and Research (pp. 724–727). Newcastle Business School, The University of Newcastle.
38. Piedade, D., Guerreiro, M., & Pinto, P. (2024). Customer destination-based experience and loyalty: Exploring the role of tourists’ emotions. Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, 19(4), 478-496. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-05-2023-0060
39. Radić, M. M., Zubčić, A., & Tomić, I. (2021). Storytelling – The tool of destination management companies for creating an extraordinary experience in film tourism. DIEM: Dubrovnik International Economic Meeting. 6(1), 176-182. https://doi.org/10.17818/DIEM/2021/1.18
40. Rauscher, M., Humpe, A., & Brehm, L. (2020). Virtual reality in tourism: Is it ‘real’ enough? Academica Turistica - Tourism and Innovation Journal, 13(2), 127–138. https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.13.127-138
41. Sandra, N. P. A., & Noina, N. M. (2024). Semiotic analysis of tourism soft-selling: Decoding short films as persuasive narratives. Ultimart: Jurnal Komunikasi Visual, 17(1), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.31937/ultimart.v17i1.3547
42. Setiawan, H. S., Afifah, N., & Mustaruddin, M. (2024). Harnessing the potential of storytelling on social media: A game-changer for halal tourism marketing strategies. AJARCDE (Asian Journal of Applied Research for Community Development and Empowerment), 8(2), 235–238. https://doi.org/10.29165 /ajarcde.v8i2.429
43. Song, L., Li, R. Y. M., & Wareewanich, T. (2023). The cultivation effect of architectural heritage YouTube videos on perceived destination image. Buildings, 13(2), 508. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings 13020508
44. Tercia, C., Teichert, T., Sirad, D. A., & Murniadi, K. (2022). Storytelling in the communication of dark tourism. Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, 17(1), 107–126. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-06-2021-0152
45. Tisdell, E. J., Merriam, S. B., & Stuckey‑Peyrot, H. L. (2025). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
46. Zhang, Y., Gao, J., Cole, S., & Ricci, P. (2020). How the Spread of User-Generated Contents (UGC) Shapes International Tourism Distribution: Using Agent-Based Modeling to Inform Strategic UGC Marketing. Journal of Travel Research, 60(7), 1469-1491. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520951639