A Cross-cultural Investigation of Tourists’ Memorable Experiences between Two Nationalities

Gökhan Ayazlar; Reyhan Arslan Ayazlar

doi:10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6558

Authors

Gökhan Ayazlar Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University

He received his PhD in tourism from Adnan Menderes University in 2012. Since 2013, he has been an Assistant Professor in the Tourism Faculty at the University of Mugla Sitki Kocman, where he teaches courses on introduction to tourism, international tourism, international hotel management and tourism sociology.
Reyhan Arslan Ayazlar Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University,

She is an assistant professor in Department of Hospitality Management at Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University. Her research interests include tourism marketing and tourist behavior. She has had some studies focusing on tourist experience, local residents’ role in tourism industry and alternative tourism types such as rural tourism, VFR tourism. She also has national and international conference papers.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2036-5195/6558

Keywords:

Cross-cultural comparison, Memorable tourism experiences

Abstract

This study aims to make a cross-cultural investigation into tourists’ memorable experiences. A self-administrated survey was carried out between Turkish and British tourists visiting Didim, Turkey, in the summer of 2016. 247 valid questionnaires from Turkish tourists and 241 valid questionnaires from British tourists were collected. Seven dimensions of memorable tourism experiences-hedonism, refreshment, novelty, local culture, meaningfulness, knowledge and involvement - were identified through factor analysis in the study. The results also indicated that British tourists had found local culture more memorable in their travels than Turkish tourists. However, hedonism was the most memorable experience dimension for Turkish tourists. The practical and theoretical contributions of the study results are discussed.

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A Cross-cultural Investigation of Tourists’ Memorable Experiences between Two Nationalities

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