Destination Marketing: The Case of Afyonkarahisar Thermal Tourism

Öz

The aim of this study is to examine thermal tourism supply and demand structure of Afyonkarahisar and to determine what kind of steps can be followed within the scope of destination marketing and management perspectives. Within this purpose, case study principles were adopted, and face-to-face interviews were carried out with 16 participants including managers of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, Provincial Directorate of Health, thermal hotels, municipality publicity office, and travel agencies. Moreover, data was collected via online form from 47 participants who are not able to conduct interview via face-to-face. The content and descriptive analyses indicate that Afyonkarahisar has become a significant thermal centre for domestic tourism; however, the province does not have an adequate share of the international thermal tourism demand. The content analysis revealed main themes as “product, physical evidence and processes”, “workforce in service marketing”, “competition and price”, “cooperation with stakeholders”, “promotional activities”, “local people and cultural structure” and “current and target market.” Recommendations are provided on these aspects to increase the province’s share of the international thermal tourism. Key Words: Afyonkarahisar, Destination Marketing, Thermal Tourism, Marketing Mix JEL Classification: M31

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Afyonkarahisar
• Destination Marketing
• Thermal Tourism
• Marketing Mix

Destinasyon Pazarlaması: Afyonkarahisar Termal Turizm Örneği

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Afyonkarahisar’ın termal turizm arz ve talep yapısını inceleyerek, uluslararası termal turizm hareketlerinden ilin pay alabilmesi için destinasyon pazarlaması ve yönetimi bakış açısıyla hangi aşamaların takip edileceğinin belirlenmesidir. Bunun için, nitel araştırma desenlerinden olan durum çalışması prensipleri izlenmiş ve Afyonkarahisar İl Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü, İl Sağlık Müdürlüğü, termal otel, belediye tanıtım ofisi ve seyahat acentesi yöneticilerinden oluşan 16 katılımcı ile yüz yüze mülakatlar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ayrıca, yüz yüze görüşmelerin mümkün olmadığı 47 katılımcı için çevrimiçi görüşme formu aracılığıyla veri toplanmıştır. İçerik ve betimleyici analizlerin sonucunda; Afyonkarahisar’ın, kaliteli termal tesisleşmenin katkısı ile ulusal pazarda (iç turizmde) önemli bir termal merkez haline geldiği ancak uluslararası termal turizm hareketlerinden yeterli payı alamadığı saptanmıştır. İlin uluslararası termal turizm pazarından pay alabilmesi için; “ürün, fiziksel kanıt ve süreç”, “hizmet pazarlamasında işgücü”, “rekabet ve fiyat”, “paydaşların iş birliği”, “tutundurma faaliyetleri”, “yerel halk ve kültürel yapı” ile “mevcut ve hedef pazar” konularında gelecek stratejileri üzerine öneriler geliştirilmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Afyonkarahisar, Destinasyon Pazarlaması, Termal Turizm, Pazarlama Karması JEL Sınıflandırması: M31

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Afyonkarahisar
• Destinasyon Pazarlaması
• Termal Turizm

Kaynakça

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