Influence of politics and media in the perceptions of turkey as a tourism destination

Influence of politics and media in the

perceptions of Turkey as a tourism

destination

Maria D. Alvarez and Meral Korzay

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to help to understand the influence of the media and political

issues in the perceptions of Turkey as a tourism destination. The study is conducted from the

perspective of Spanish people.

Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on the responses provided to a web survey.

The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s correlations.

Findings – The views of the Spanish people on the Turkish political situation were not found to be related

to the perceptions of the destination, except for those regarding Turkey’s candidacy to the European

Union. However, an indirect relationship between the political views and the perceptions of the

destination through the influence of the former on the image of the host community is proposed.

Television and the written press are determined as the most significant information sources, other than

word of mouth and experience.

Research limitations/implications – The research points to the fact that political views regarding the

country may not affect the perceptions regarding that destination. However, certain political issues seem

to have a greater effect on the perceptions of the destination. Therefore, for conclusive evidence a more

extensive investigation is required.

Practical implications – The difference between the destination’s image and the political views of the

country is of practical interest to developing countries, which are dependent on tourism, but generally

suffer from political instability and image problems.

Originality/value – The dichotomy between different perceptions regarding a country is investigated.

Moreover, the importance of the media in creating perceptions of a destination is analyzed.

Keywords Politics, Information media, Perception, Turkey, Tourism

Paper type Research paper

1. Introduction

A common challenge for destinations is that of marketing themselves as a single unified

tourism product, even when they are composed of many companies and individual

entrepreneurs (Von Friedrichs Gra¨ngsjo¨, 2003). Similarly, offering a unified image of the

place is difficult, as perceptions may be affected by very different factors and diverse actors.

A further problem facing the Third World relates to the images and stereotypes that are

created from a First World perspective, and which influence the marketing of these countries

as tourism destinations (Echtner, 2002). As many of these developing nations are generally

affected by political unrest and development issues, which are conveyed by the media, it is

of the utmost importance to determine whether these perceptions have an effect on the

image of these tourism destinations. This is especially significant in the case of Turkey as a

study comparing the image of 36 different countries according to Anholt’s National Brand

Image Index, establishes that this country is the second most negatively perceived nation

(Radikal, 2006).

PAGE 38 j TOURISM REVIEW j VOL. 63 NO. 2 2008, pp. 38-46, Q Emerald Group Publishing Limited, ISSN 1660-5373 DOI 10.1108/16605370810883932

Maria D. Alvarez and Meral

Korzay are both based in

the Department of Tourism

Administration at the

Bog˘azic¸i University, Hisar

Kampu¨s, Bebek, Istanbul,

Turkey.