QUALITY PERCEPTIONS OF IRANIAN TOURISTS’ VISITING PROVINCE OF VAN / TURKEY

Abstract

As an amalgam element of tourist experiences and preferences the concept of destination quality has

gained a great attention in the past. Quality has considerable impacts on the destination competitiveness and as

the result on the satisfaction and revisit intentions of the visitors. It has a persistent impact rather than a tentative

impact on the destinations’ tourist flow patterns. This research reviews the literature and highlights wholly or partly

the quality of destination as a tourism product which is offered to tourists and creates regular demand. Quality is

a crucial concept that can provide insights on the way they are viewed and perceived by the tourists ultimately

as customers visiting and using artificial and auxiliary service produced in the destination. This paper aims to

explore the tourist perceptions related to Van City of Turkey as most popular destination visited by Iranian tourists.

The study uses primary data collected from the visitors through the questionnaire form which structured as an

empirically in Likert form from the scales in literature. Each item constituted to measure the quality perceptions

of tourists related to evaluation of natural, cultural and other potential attractions of Van as tourism products.

Items which gain the highest and the least score as the perceptions of the tourists are explained at the result of the

analysis.

Keywords

• Destination quality,Iranian tourist perceptions,Tourism product,Van city,Turkey.

References

1. Aho, S. K. (2001) “Towards a general theory of touristic experiences: Modelling experience process in tourism”, Tourism Review, Vol. 56 Issue: 3/4, pp.33-37, https://doi.org/10.1108/eb058368.
2. Bostan, A. (2013). Ülke Kalkınmasında Marmaris Turizm Sektörünün Önemi ve Rus Turistlerin Marmaris’i Tercih Etme Nedenleri, International Conference On Eurasian Economies, 711-720.
3. Buhalis, D. (2000). Marketing the competitive destination of the future, Tourism Management, 21, pp. 97-116.
4. Cabael T. G., (2011) “Destinasyon Yönetim Organizasyonu Üzerine Bir Model önerisi”, Muğla Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Turizm İşletmeciliği Anabilim Dalı, Yüksek Lisans Tezi, Muğla.
5. Çetin, İ. (2017a). «Yeni Gelişen Turistik Destinasyonlar ve Van’ı Ziyaret Eden İranlı Turistlerin Özellikleri”, Ahi Evran Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (AEÜSBED), 2017, Cilt 3, Sayı 1, Sayfa 44-59.
6. Çetin, İ. (2017b). Factors Affecting The Tourism Demand At New Emerging Tourist Destinations: Case of Van, III. IBANESS Kongreler Serisi – Edirne / Türkiye, 04-05 Mart 2017.
7. Çetin, İ. (2016). Brand Equity and its Impacts on Consumer Repurchase Intentions in the :Hospitality Industry, Proceedings Of III. Internatıonal Cesme-Chios History, Culture And Tourism Symposium 03-04 November, Çeşme-Türkiye.
8. Chen, F.C. ve Tsai, D., C. (2007). How destination image and evaluative factors affect behavioral intentions?, Tourism Management 28, pp. 1115–1122.

9. Chi, C. G. and Qu, H. (2008). Examining The Structural Relationships of Destination Image, Tourist Satisfaction and Destination Loyalty:An Integrated Approach. Tourism Management, 29, 624–636.
10. Crompton, J. L. (1979). Motivations for pleasure vacation, Annals of Tourism Research,6(4), 408-424.
11. Echtner, C. M., & Ritchie, J. B. (1991). The meaning and measurement of destination image. Journal of tourism studies, 2(2), 2-12.
12. Gallarza, M. G., Saura, I. G., & Garcı́a, H. C. (2002). Destination image: Towards a conceptual framework.Annals of tourism research, 29(1), 56-78.
13. Getz, D. (1989). Special events, Defining the product, Tourism management, 10 (2), 125-137.
14. Hacıoğlu, N. (2016). Turizm Pazarlaması, Nobel Akademik yayıncılık, Eğitim Danışmanlık Tic. Ltd. Şti, 11.basım, Ankara. Hayta, A.B. (2008). Turizm Pazarlamasında Tüketici Satın Alma Süreci ve Karşılaşılan Sorunlar, Kastamonu Eğitim Dergisi, Cilt:16 No:1 31-48.
15. Hosany, S., Ekinci, Y., & Uysal, M. (2006). Destination image and destination personality, An application of branding theories to tourism places, Journal of business research, 59(5), 638-642.
16. İçöz, O. (2001).Turizm İşletmelerinde Pazarlama, İlkeler ve Uygulamalar, 2. Baskı, Turhan Kitabevi, Ankara.
17. Kotler, P. Haider, D. H. & Rein, I. (1993). Marketing Places: Attracting investment, industry, and tourism to cities, states, and nations, New York: The Free Press.
18. Kozak, N. Kozak, Meryem A. & Kozak, M. (2017). Genel Turizm, İlkeler-Kavramlar, Detay Yayıncılık, 19. Baskı, Ankara.
19. Mohamad, M., Abdullah, A. R., & Mokhlis, S. (2012). Tourists’ Evaluations of Destination Image and Future Behavioral Intention: The Case of Malaysia. J. Mgmt. & Sustainability, 2, 181.
20. Murphy, P., Pritchard, M. P., & Smith, B. (2000). The destination product and its impact on traveller perceptions. Tourism management, 21(1), 43-52.
21. Öter Z. ve Özdoğan, O.N. (2005). Kültür Amaçlı Seyahat Eden Turistlerde Destinasyon İmajı:Selçuk-Efes Örneği, Anatolia: Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi, Cilt 16, Sayı 2, Güz: 127 138, 2005.
22. Rızaoğlu, B. (2003). Turizm Davranışı. Detay Yayıncılık, II. Baskı, Ankara.
23. Qu, H., Kim, L. H., & Im, H. H. (2011). A model of destination branding: Integrating the concepts of the branding and destination image. Tourism management, 32(3), 465-476.
24. Saleh, F., & Ryan, C. (1991). Analysing service quality in the hospitality industry using the SERVQUAL model. Service Industries Journal, 11(3), 324-345.
25. Sevim, B., Seçilmiş, C. ve Görkem, O. (2013). Algılanan destinasyon İmajının Tavsiye davranışı Üzerine Etkisi: Safranbolu’da bir araştırma, Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, Cilt 9, Sayı 20.
26. Smith, S. L. (1994). The tourism product. Annals of tourism research, 21(3), 582-595.
27. Stylidis, D., Shani, A., & Belhassen, Y. (2017). Testing an integrated destination image model across residents and tourists. Tourism Management, 58, 184-195.
28. Stevens, B. F. (1992). Price value perceptions of travelers, Journal of Travel Research, 31,pp.44-48.
29. Terzidou, M., Stylidis, D., & Terzidis, K. (2018). The role of visual media in religious tourists’ destination image, choice, and on-site experience: the case of Tinos, Greece. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 35(3), 306-319.
30. Tinsley, R. Lynch, P. (2001). Small tourism business networks and destination development,Hospitality Management, 20, pp.367–378. Usta, Ö. (2016). Turizm, Genel ve Yapısal Yaklaşım, 5. Baskı, Detay Yayıncılık, Ankara.
31. Ünlüönen, K., & Çimen, H. (2011). Destinasyon kalitesi: ikinci konut sakinleri örneği. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 35(35).