(Tourism Managers Opinions About Smart Tourism Vehicles and Applications: A Qualitative Research on Eskişehir)

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this study, determination of the opinions of the tourism business managers about the smart tourism applications in Eskişehir. At the same time, it is aimed to identify the smart technological systems and tools used in the businesses. Design/methodology/approach – This study was conducted as a qualitative research. The Semi-structured interview technique was used to colleting the research data. Content analysis and descriptive analysis methods were used to analyze the collected data. Findings – According to the findings of the research, business managers think that smart tourism technologies are a necessity for the sector and increase the competitiveness of destinations in the market. In addition, it has been found that almost all of the enterprises have modules and applications supported by smart systems, but the use of smart systems in enterprises has not developed enough. It has been determined that the main obstacles to development stem from economic constraints, infrastructural deficiencies and market conditions. Discussion – Smart tourism systems are at the stage of investment and development in Eskişehir. In contrast, most business managers have knowledge and awareness of smart technologies and their use will provide opportunities to businesses. This situation provides clues that the usage tendencies of enterprises will increase with the elimination or reduction of the factors preventing the application of smart technological systems in the region and the enterprise. The results of the research will contribute to the sector and the literature in terms of revealing the status and deficiencies of the tourism enterprises in the smart city of Eskişehir.