External information search behavior of visitors to Turkey

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyze the influence of information search behavior of travelers from 36 countries to Turkey. The data used in this study were obtained from a larger research project which was carried out by Ministry of Tourism and Culture and State Statistics Association of Turkey in 2001. The study revealed seven dimensions of external information sources as a part of search behavior of visitors such as "friends and relatives," "trade exhibition," "promotion offices," "media," "tourism entities," "others" (Internet, catalog and in-flight information) and "outside of the above sources." The data were analyzed by two different techniques. First, a series of Chi-square tests were conducted to examine the information sources of visitors arriving in Turkey. Second, Correspondence Analysis (CA) was utilized to identify the differences in the information sources of visitors. Six external information sources were examined in the study