Competitive positioning of winter tourism destinations: A comparative analysis of demand and supply sides perspectives-Cases from Turkey

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the competitive positions of five winter tourism destinations in Turkey. The explanatory sequential mixed method was used in order to compare the views of both the supply and demand sides, A questionnaire was first applied to current and potential visitors of the related destinations (n = 417), both in the field and online, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with destination stakeholders (n = 12). It was observed that visitor perceptions positioned Uludag with its tourism superstructure means and entertainment opportunities, Kartalkaya with its tourism superstructure quality and service quality, Erciyes, with its reasonable pricing policy and uncrowded slopes/lifts, Palandoken with its adequate number of lifts and snow quality, and Kartepe, with its beautiful scenery and accessibility. The assessments of the destination stakeholders demonstrated that strategies for strengthening the current position was not accepted at every destination and that only some destination stakeholders were inclined toward repositioning.