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Perceptions of foreign tourists by local service providers: the case of Fethiye, Turkey
Author(s) -
Kozak Metin,
Tasci Asli D. A.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
international journal of tourism research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.155
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1522-1970
pISSN - 1099-2340
DOI - 10.1002/jtr.534
Subject(s) - tourism , german , perception , marketing , service (business) , advertising , service provider , business , psychology , political science , geography , law , archaeology , neuroscience
A substantial amount of research has been carried out on foreign tourists' perceptions of the attitude and behaviour of locals. However, locals' perceptions of foreign tourists' attitude and behaviour has not received as much attention from researchers. The aim of this study was to empirically investigate the locals' perceptions of attitude and behaviour of those foreign tourists who regularly visit a destination. The study was undertaken on various local service providers in the tourism and hotel industry, such as hotels, restaurants, travel agencies and gift shops in the central part of Fethiye, a popular tourist town in southwest Turkey. Using both open‐ended and structured questions, locals' perceptions of two nationalities of foreign tourists, namely British and Germans, were measured. Findings revealed that, overall British tourists were viewed as more positive than their German counterparts. Theoretical and practical implications are provided, followed by limitations and future research suggestions. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.