HOSTEL İŞLETMECİLİĞİNDE REKABET BELİRLEYİCİLERİ: İŞLETMECİ VE TURİST GÖRÜŞLERİNİN ANALİZİ

Yıl 2019, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 1, 33 - 63, 30.04.2019

Vugar Gahramanov Oğuz Türkay

https://doi.org/10.22139/jobs.497515

Cited By: 2

Öz

Amaç: Dünya genelinde en hızlı büyüyen ve önemli miktarda kişi ve para
hareketine yol açan gençlik turizminin en belirgin konaklama seçeneği olarak
hostellerin rekabetçiliği, turizmin gelişimi açısından kritik öneme sahiptir.
Bu çalışmada, hostel işletmeciliğinde rekabetçiliğin analizi amaçlanmaktadır.

Yöntem: Hostel işletmecileri ile yapılan mülakat ve hostel
tüketicileri ile yapılan anket çalışmalarıyla elde edilen nitel ve nicel veri
analiz edilmektedir.

Bulgular: Alanda internet erişimi, fiyat, hijyen, banyo olanakları
ve lokasyonun önemli olduğu anlaşılmaktadır. İstanbul’da yerleşik hosteller
açısından bir durağan rekabet ortamı algılamasına karşın dünya genelinde hostel
işletmeciliği alanında zincir işletmelerin büyüme gösterdikleri ve bu alanda
kalite artışına bağlı olarak diğer konaklama alternatifleriyle rekabete
hazırlanıldığı anlaşılmaktadır.  

Sonuç: Hostellerde rekabet, fiyatın en temel çekicilik olduğu
yalın bir görünüm arz etmektedir. Ancak, işletme sayılarının özellikle de
büyük/zincir işletmelerin kapasite artırmalarının beklenmesi gerektiği tespit
edilmektedir. Hem zincir işletmelerin yayılması hem de airbnb ve couchsurfing
gibi alternatiflerin ciddi rekabet ortamı hazırlaması beklenebilir. Türkiye’de
ise öncelikle hostel özelliklerinin ve kalitesinin artırılması gerektiği
anlaşılmaktadır. 

Anahtar Kelimeler

Hostel işletmeleri, rekabet, gençlik turizmi

THE DETERMINANTS OF COMPETITION IN HOSTEL MANAGEMENT: ANALYSIS OF OPERATORS’ AND TOURISTS’ OPINIONS

Öz

EXTENDED ABSTRACT

Young travelers are becoming an increasingly important market for the tourism sector. According to the World Tourism Organization, in 2015, %23 of total international travel movement had occurred with the participation of young people between the ages of 15-29. The number of young tourists, estimated to be 196 million worldwide in 2010, reached to 304 million in 2017. Youth tourism has led to USD movement, and its economic return was about 286 billion dollars in 2014. Youth tourism is an important tourism type for almost all destinations and it provides many benefits such as taking more time to travel than other tourist categories, spreading this form of tourism throughout the year, being able to travel in times of crisis due to their flexible budgets, having low cost of infrastructure investments required for youth tourism, and being able to use the existing infrastructure more efficiently. 

Youth tourism is a market where cheap, dynamic, Internet-based solutions are an important tool of interaction between the producer and the consumer. There are different programs which attract young people to travel. Au-pair, training programs, volunteer programs, work and travel programs, cultural exchange, sports tourism and adventure tourism programs are among these. 

A significant number of young travelers prefer hostels as a type of accommodation in the countries they travel in. Youth hostels used to be associated with concepts like cheap and basic accommodation. However, the expansion of hosteling into new areas of the world and the growing demand for cheap accommodation options have changed the traditional face of hosteling. The increase in options (such as private rooms and bathrooms etc.) indicates that the service standards are improving in the hostels. In recent years, there has been a growth both in accommodation opportunities and service quality of these accommodations for young travelers in many cities all over the world. This trend is particularly marked in the center of major cities, where new youth accommodation chains, boutique hostels and student residences are springing up. Cities such as London, Berlin and Barcelona now have a wide range of youth travel accommodation options, many of which are being supplied by large companies like Generator and A&O. These new spaces are increasingly being used as meeting places by young people in the cities, not just by their clients, but also by other tourists and locals. For example, now there is a high degree of crossover between Couchsurfing and hostels, including some hostels acting like social spaces where Couchsurfing clients staying in different areas of the city can congregate.

Hostels generally compete with budget hotels, apartments, Airbnb and all other accommodation options in major cities. So they base on their unique selling proposition on the fact declaring that they are offering a social experience as well as cheap accommodation. The realization that hosteling is about more than the simple provision of a cheap bed has begun to transform the hostel ‘industry’. From being a disparate collection of small-scale accommodation units largely located in rural areas and the suburbs, hostels have begun to invade the center of major cities. It is already obvious that large chains determining the market have emerged.

Hostels are the most important accommodation alternatives in the scope of youth tourism. In spite of this importance, when the literature is examined, studies on hostels seem to be very limited. Current studies cover the subject within the scope of tourism product diversification. It is understood that the subject is approached conceptually and practical studies are even more limited. It shows that all the efforts to perceive the functioning and competitiveness dynamics of hostels as a sphere of business, and more generally, the quest for developing approaches to encourage youth tourism and facilitate the use of this type of tourism are not sufficiently developed.

In this study, it is aimed to deal with hostel enterprises and to determine the business environment. The study gives an idea of the factors that attract young people to the hostel, and therefore factors that bring the hostel into the competitive market as an alternative product. These include the price advantage of hostels, the location (especially close to the city's main routes and the main tourist attractions), the possibility of young groups to stay together and in the friendly atmosphere. However, it is useful to examine the factors which highlight the hostel in terms of competitiveness in a particular area and to reflect the views of hostel operators. In this study, it is aimed to understand the critical factors that lead the competition in this sphere by discussing/interviewing with the hostel operators in light of the stated aim. In this context 9 of the 80 hostels located in Istanbul were randomly selected and interviewed with hostel operators. In the second stage, a survey was conducted with 400 young tourists on the internet in order to determine the importance of the elements that play a key role in hostel preferences.

According to the findings obtained through the interview, it is observed that the executives in hostel enterprises in Istanbul do not attach any importance to the competition and they only reflect a clear awareness of certain issues. They perceive other hostel operations settled in their regions as a competitive environment. On the other hand, in response to competition, they state that they try to keep price and quality control in balance. It seems that there are perceptual and possibly financial problems in the face of attempts to develop markets, to create differences in products. It is understood that this market, controlled by large operators and chain companies in developed countries, is weak/unprepared against stagnant, uncertain and new entrances for Istanbul. Human resource sensitivity, as one of the most critical factors that will accelerate business in the market, is low. Because in general, the provision of staff from a limited number of hostel employees (an average of 5-6 people), as well as from family, close environment or familiar environments, obstructs the handling and management of human resources and reduces the importance of this resource.

According to the data of the survey conducted, the most important elements of the participants' hostel preference include internet connection, affordable hostel price, hygiene and cleanliness, bathroom facilities, being in the central location, proximity to transportation networks. In this regard, hostel operators have also presented similar ideas in the interviews. These findings coincide with the findings of previous studies. In the other side, the two elements that the participants thought were ineffective in the selection of the hostel are people from their own nationality and sports facilities (Fitness etc.) It is clear that these two issues do not have any specificity in the hostel preference.

It is not surprising that mobile connection facilities and internet are one of the most sought-after features of hostel accommodation, depending on their roles on young people lives. Also, the importance of other digital media such as the ability to score on reservation sites, technological innovations and Mass Communication opportunities are very critical factors for the hostels. In this regard, hostel operators also think in the same way, and that is why most hostel operators say that only the reviews and ratings on the booking sites are sufficient for advertising and promotion and thus competitiveness.

When we look at the answers given to the positive features encountered in the hostels, most participants state that the quality-price balance of the hostel is good, the location is central, and the hostel environment is beautiful. In the context of negative features; lack of hygiene, noise, overcrowding of rooms, employees' indifference are emphasized. It can be said that these elements stand out as problems pending by the hostel management. 

Competition in hostels is under the determination of price. However, it is determined that several enterprises, especially large/chain enterprises, should be expected to increase their capacity. Both chain businesses and alternatives such as Airbnb and Couchsurfing can be expected to create a seriously competitive environment. In Turkey, it is obvious that the characteristics and quality of the hostels should be developed first.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Hostel enterprises, competition, youth tourism

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