ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF TOURISM SECTOR IN BALKAN COUNTRIES AND AN ANALYSIS OF THE TOURISM RELATIONS BETWEEN TURKEY AND BALKAN COUNTRIES

The Balkan region which has been unstable up to 2000s now host leading markets that make progress and attract attention in global economy from an economic,political, geographical, historical and cultural perspective. Particularly the newreforms and legal arrangements introduced in the Balkan countries within the framework of harmonization efforts with the European Union contributed to the emergence of a new environment of stability and peace. Positive development is observed if the general economic performance of the Balkan countries is analyzed by sectors. According to the tourism data of the World Tourism Organization in2011, tourism has become popular in recent yearsin Western Balkans; however, cross-border tourism has been in decline in many parts of the region due to the decrease in the spendable income. In addition, the tourists prefer developing countries; the change in this preference and the impact ofthe global economic crisis contributed to the rise of domestic and international tourism in the Balkan countries. Turkey's relations with the Balkans which appear to be extension of Turkey in the European continent have improved in a wide range of fields including economy, social affairs, culture and tourism. After introduction of project by Turkish Airlines, "Visa-Free Balkans," in 2011, the Turkish citizens became more interested in having vacation in the Balkans. It is also visible that Balkan countries have diversified their tourism options and that in addition, seasand and sun, they have other alternatives to offer including health tourism andfaith tourism.In this study, the necessary business enterprises on accommodation, traveling,transportation, food and catering in order to improve this potential and make it tourism supply in Balkan tourism and other relevant countries in international tourism market will be examined first. Subsequent to the examination of the tourism supply, the demand for tourism in these countries will be evaluated in the second part and the profile of the visitors by foreign active-foreign passive and domestic tourism will be drawn. The purpose in these two sections is to examine the tourism sector which contributes extensively to the economic and social development of these countries by focusing on its economic dimension. In the third section, the tourism relations between Balkan states and Turkey which is a remarkable destination in global market and ranked among the first ten countries by number of visitors and international tourism revenues as evidenced by the World TourismOrganization's data through economic, social and cultural dimensions. In the concluding section, some recommendations will be made on how to improvetourism relations between Turkey and Balkan states which already enjoy close tiesin economic and cultural spheres

Usando um enfoque bibliométrico para examinar o conceito de turismo macabro

AbstractObjective: The current paper attempts to examine the dark tourism concept via a bibliometric approach. For this purpose, 155 articles published on dark tourism from 1990 to 2020 were obtained from the Web of Science database (WoS). Method: We utilized from VosViewer software to analyze the obtained data. We chose a total of 10 parameters to be analyzed.Originality/Relevance: Although there are some studies to review dark tourism, unlike other studies, this paper created bibliometric maps of dark tourism by using the Vosviewer software. Main results: As a result of the analysis, it was found that the dark tourism literature is growing day by day according to the above parameters.Theoretical/methodological contributions: This paper has identified major themes of dark tourism and prominent studies related to dark tourism. ResumenObjetivo: Este artículo intenta presentar una revisión del concepto de turismo oscuro a través de un enfoque bibliométrico. Para ello, se obtuvieron 155 artículos publicados sobre turismo oscuro desde 1990 hasta 2020 de la base de datos Web of Science (WoS).Método: Se utilizó el software VosViewer para analizar los datos obtenidos. Un total de 10 parámetros tales como los autores, países, organizaciones más contribuyentes, los artículos más citados, el número anual de publicaciones, la co-ocurrencia de palabras clave de autor de artículos, el análisis de co-citas de autores y revistas, el acoplamiento bibliográfico de países y autores fueron elegidos para ser analizados. Originalidad/Relevancia: Aunque existen algunos estudios para revisar el concepto de turismo oscuro, a diferencia de otros estudios, en este artículo se crearon mapas bibliométricos de turismo oscuro utilizando el software Vosviewer.Resultados principales: Como resultado del análisis, se determinó que la literatura sobre turismo oscuro crece día a día de acuerdo con los parámetros anteriores.Contribuciones teóricas/metodológicas: Este documento ha identificado los principales temas del turismo oscuro y estudios destacados relacionados con el turismo oscuro. ResumoObjetivo: Este artigo tenta apresentar uma revisão do conceito de turismo negro por meio de uma abordagem bibliométrica. Para tanto, 155 artigos publicados sobre turismo negro de 1990 a 2020 foram obtidos na base de dados Web of Science (WoS).Método: O software VosViewer foi utilizado para analisar os dados obtidos. Um total de 10 parâmetros, como os autores mais contribuintes, países, organizações, os artigos mais citados, o número anual de publicações, a co-ocorrência de palavras-chave de autores de artigos, a análise de co-citação de autores e periódicos, o acoplamento bibliográfico de países e autores foram escolhidos para serem analisados.Originalidade/Relevância: Embora existam alguns estudos para revisar o conceito de turismo negro, ao contrário de outros estudos, neste artigo, mapas bibliométricos de turismo negro foram criados usando o software Vosviewer.Resultados principais: Como resultado da análise, foi determinado que a literatura do turismo negro está crescendo dia a dia de acordo com os parâmetros acima.Contribuições teóricas/metodológicas: Este artigo identificou os principais temas do turismo negro e estudos proeminentes relacionados ao turismo negro.

Willingness to pay for tourist tax in destinations : Empirical evidence from Istanbul

Revenue generated from tourism taxes constitutes an important financial resource for local governments and tourism authorities to both ensure tourism sustainability and enhance the quality of tourist experiences. In order for tourism policy makers to create an efficient and fair tax system in tourism destinations, it is crucial to understand travelers’ perceptions concerning willingness to pay (WTP), tax rates, and their optimal allocation. The objectives of this paper, therefore, are to evaluate tourism taxes as a compensation tool to cover the costs of tourism and to measure tourists’ WTP. The paper also suggests a fair allocation of tax revenues based on tourists’ perceptions. A qualitative approach was used and data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews with international travelers to Istanbul, Turkey. The findings suggest that tourists are more likely to pay an additional amount of tax when this is earmarked for improvements in their experiences, but they are reluctant to take on liability concerning matters relating to destination sustainability. Based on the travelers’ perceptions, the paper also identified areas that need investment to improve tourist experiences. An interesting highlight of this paper is that the majority of surveyed respondents reported that their travel decisions would not be negatively affected even if the total cost of their vacation increased by one third. The findings are expected to offer fresh and much-needed insights into tourist taxation for tourism policy makers and stakeholders

The impact of emotional dissonance on quality of work life and life satisfaction of tour guides

The well-being of employees in the tourism and hospitality industry remains an important area of investigation in tourism research. Building on the emotional labor theory and the well-being body of knowledge, this study develops and tests a model that examines the effects of emotional dissonance on the quality of work life and life satisfaction using data from professional tour guides in Jordan. Unexpectedly, results show that tour guides do not experience significant emotional dissonance and that there is no negative impact of emotional dissonance neither on quality of work life or life satisfaction. Contrary to theoretical predictions, the findings fail to suggest a link between emotional dissonance, quality of work of life and life satisfaction. However, the findings reveal that a positive relationship between quality of work life and life satisfaction exists. The study provides some theoretical and practical implications and suggests areas of inquiry for future research