3rd International Thematic Monograph – Modern Management Tools and Economy of Tourism Sector in Present Era

THE IMPACT OF THE ARAB SPRING  ON HOTEL SERVICES IN ISTANBUL

Mehmet Emin BAYNAZOGLU, Ass. Prof. Dr.
Trakya University, Kesan Yusuf CAPRAZ School of Applied Sciences, Turkey
Ebru Ozlem BILGIN, Ass. Prof. Dr.
Sakarya University, Tourism Faculty, Sapanca Campus,   Turkey
Orhan AKOVA, Prof. Dr.
Istanbul University , Faculty of Economics, Beyazıt, Istanbul ,   Turkey  

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/tmt.2018.63

Abstract:   The tourism industry is affected by many different external factors such as war, terrorism and economic crisis and it plays an important role in many aspects for the development of a country. One of the major political events occurred in Arab countries in recent years was Arab Spring. In this study, changes occurring in tourist profiles’ expectations in hospitality services in İstanbul hotels with the Arab Spring and were studied to reveal changes in the profile of tourists visiting İstanbul. Face to face interview method was used for this qualitative study with 8 senior managers who work in 5-star hotels in Istanbul. The responses obtained were subjected to content analysis and tourism practitioners’ perceptions and experiences were applied to them. In the direction of the findings from the interviews, it is observed that there are significant changes in the tourist profiles in the 5-star hotel enterprises operating in Istanbul after the Arab Spring which occurred in 2010. This change seems to have caused the hotels to revise themselves on many issues such as human resources, education, food and beverage, cost control, renovation, and refurbishment.

Keywords:  Arab Spring, Tourism, Tourist Profiles, Service Features.

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