(The Effect of Consumer Ethnocentrism on Touristic Purchasing Preferences)

Abstract

Purpose – Nowadays, tourism industry offers more destination alternatives compared to previous periods due to globalization and especially the travel costs which decreased as a result of technological developments. There are many factors that influence the choice of destinations among these alternatives for tourists. One of these factors is the tendency of consumers to ethnocentrism. The basis of consumer ethnocentrism is the idea that consumers believe in the excellence of their own country's products. Consumer ethnocentrism is the behavior of consumers to prefer domestic products/services instead of foreign products/services. In this study, the relationship between the demographic variables and ethnocentrism tendencies of the participants and the effect of ethnocentrism levels on the intention of choosing local destinations within the scope of tourist purchase were investigated. Design/methodology/approach – In the study, a conceptual framework was formed by searching the literature and a questionnaire was prepared by using Cetscale and local destination selection intention scales. Within the scope of construct validity, necessary corrections were made after the pilot implementation and the questionnaire was finalized and sent to the participants via social networks and e-mail. 661 survey forms that have been fully answered have been evaluated. The data obtained from the survey forms were analyzed with SPSS 22.0 program, reliability analysis, Anova, t test, correlation and regression analysis were performed and hypotheses were tested. Findings – As a result of the study, a significant relationship was found between consumer ethnocentrism and the intention of choosing domestic destinations for holidays. The results of the regression analysis show that consumer ethnocentrism positively affects the intention of choosing domestic destination. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between the demographic variables and ethnocentrism levels of the participants. Discussion – In line with the results of this study, it can be stated that having the knowledge of destination and tourism enterprises managers about consumer ethnocentrism and touristic purchasing decision processes can help them make effective decisions in tourism marketing.