See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/340923830

Digital Transformation and Marketing in Tourism Industry

Chapter · March 2020

CITATIONS READS

8 2,148

1 author:

Samet Gökkaya
Karabük University
21 PUBLICATIONS 59 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Samet Gökkaya on 27 May 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Fatih Türkmen (ed.)
Fatih Türkmen (ed.)
Selected Academic Studies Fatih Türkmen (ed.)
from Turkish Tourism Sector

Selected Academic Studies

A compilation of current academic studies on the tourism sector of Turkey, the
23 chapters of this book have been written by tourism academicians who are experts

Selected Academic Studies from Turkish Tourism Sector

in their respective fields. The chapters contain qualitative or quantitative research data
and current statistical data, making this book useful for academic research.
from Turkish Tourism Sector

The Editor
Associate Prof. Dr. Fatih Türkmen was born in Ankara, Turkey, in 1978. He completed
his graduation, postgraduation and doctorate in the field of tourism management. He
has published many articles in national and international journals apart from books on
tourism. Türkmen is associated with the Safranbolu Tourism Faculty at Karabük Univer-
sity, Turkey, and is on a temporary assignment with the tourism department at Ahmet
Yesevi University, Turkistan, Kazakhstan.

ISBN 978-3-631-81099-6

281099_Türkmen_ANK_A5Br fusion azurblau.indd Alle Seiten 18.02.20 10:52

 Fatih Türkmen (ed.)

SELECTED ACADEMIC
STUDIES FROM TURKISH
TOURISM SECTOR
Bibliographic Information published by theDeutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available online at
http://dnb.d-nb.de.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A CIP catalog record for this book has been applied for at the Library of Congress.

Printed by CPI books GmbH, Leck

ISBN 978-3-631-81099-6 (Print)

E-ISBN 978-3-631-81607-3 (E-PDF)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-81608-0 (EPUB)
E-ISBN 978-3-631-81609-7 (MOBI)
DOI 10.3726/b16699

© Peter Lang GmbH

Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Berlin 2020
All rights reserved.

Peter Lang – Berlin ∙ Bern ∙ Bruxelles ∙ New York ∙

Oxford ∙ Warszawa ∙ Wien

All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any

utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to
prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions,
translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in
electronic retrieval systems.

This publication has been peer reviewed.

www.peterlang.com
 Book Abstract

A compilation of current academic studies on the tourism sector of Turkey, the

23 chapters of this book have been written by tourism academicians who are
experts in their respective fields. The chapters contain qualitative or quantitative
research data and current statistical data, making this book useful for academic
research. I thank all the contributors and dedicate this book to my family.

Keywords: Tourism, Gastronomy, Academic tourism studies, Turkish tourism sector

 Contents

List of Contributors .................................................................................................. 11

Abdullah USLU
1 Rural Tourism in Durbuy City .......................................................................... 15

Ahmet DUYAR and Ahmet AÇIL

2 Effects of Ecotourism Activities in Forests on the Soil .................................. 29

Bilal DEVECİ
3 Usage Areas of Salt Mineral and Its Varieties .................................................. 35

Ebru GÖZEN
4 Hotel Managers’ Metaphoric Perceptions for Smart Hotel ............................ 43

Ediz GÜRİPEK
5 Innovation in Tourism and Examples in Practice .......................................... 63

Emre AYKAÇ and Ömer Ceyhun APAK

6 Diaspora Tourism ............................................................................................... 71

Yasin DÖNMEZ and Sevgi ÖZTÜRK

7 Ecotourism and Geographical Information Systems Applications .............. 89

Emin ARSLAN
8 Gastronomy Tourism and Geographical Indications in Tokat ..................... 97

Mehmet TEKELİ and Ezgi KIRICI TEKELİ

9 Sustainable Gastronomic Tourism .................................................................. 113

Mehmet Mert PASLI and Evren GÜÇER

10 To Determine the Recreational Potential of Trabzon ................................... 135

Samet GÖKKAYA
11 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry ......................... 149

Hakan KENDİR
12 Cultural Heritage Tourism Inventory in Tokat Province ............................. 165
10 Contents

Serdar SÜNNETÇİOĞLU
13 Effects of Digitalization in Tourism ................................................................ 177

Handan ÖZÇELİK BOZKURT

14 Climate Change and Tourism .......................................................................... 193

Irem BOZKURT and Enes YILDIRIM

15 Overtourism ...................................................................................................... 207

Kansu GENÇER
16 Qualitative Approaches for Tourism Research ............................................. 225

Mehmet CAN and Çağla ÜST CAN

17 Event Tourism ................................................................................................... 241

Mustafa Cüneyt ŞAPCILAR and Ahmet BÜYÜKŞALVARCI

18 The Effect of Nepotism ..................................................................................... 251

Serdar ÇÖP
19 Sharing Economy for Sustainability in Tourism ........................................... 275

Serdar EREN
20 Sustainable Tourism Criteria and Turkish Restaurants ............................... 285

Uğur CEYLAN
21 City Tourism and Kütahya ............................................................................... 293

Yeliz PEKERŞEN
22 An Overview of Creative Tourism Concept .................................................. 309

Yılmaz SEÇİM
23 Gastronomy Festivals in Turkey ...................................................................... 323

List of Figures .......................................................................................................... 335

List of Tables ........................................................................................................... 337

 Samet GÖKKAYA

11 Digital Transformation & Marketing in

Tourism Industry

Introduction
In the period industry 4.0, where digital transformation has started to be
implemented in all sectors, it is possible for enterprises to outperform their
competitors and to evaluate the social communication environment effectively.
In the 21st century, serial technological developments and computer networks,
which are continuous in communication and information technology, especially
under the leadership of the internet, eliminate geographical distances between
the seller and the buyer, enlarge the market and bring an international quality to
the field of consumption.
The virtual environment in which individuals frequently spend time and
interact with each other has prepared the ground for many technological trans-
formations and thus initiated digital transformation through instant information
sharing and communication channels and user-friendly applications brought by
web technology. In the traditional media, the technology that enables commu-
nication between people or between the masses has paved the way for digital
media to convey information to a very large audience. With the digital media,
the person has started to take an active role in producing and sharing infor-
mation and significantly increased the communication superiority of the users
(Engin, 2011: 35).
Together with the developing technology, the need of tourism enterprises
for information systems has increased. Tourism enterprises, which want to be
superior to their competitors by becoming a leader in the market and to main-
tain their sustainability, pay particular attention to the use of digital transforma-
tion elements created by the concept of tourism 4.0, which is the equivalent of
tourism in industry 4.0. While the tourism enterprises want to increase the oper-
ational efficiency with the digital transformation elements used, to facilitate the
preferability by the tourists who quickly adapt to the digitalization, to provide
fast and reliable service to the tourists, the other side of the digital transforma-
tion in the tourism sector is the best, the most reliable and the fastest way. Want
to experience tourist experiences.
In recent years, IT expenditures of enterprises have been used more strategi-
cally and as an important structural element within the organization rather than
150 Samet Gökkaya

capital investments. (Bresnahan, 1998; Çetinkaya, 2007). Tourism enterprises

to closely monitor and use the information systems movements; has contrib-
uted to management, production factors and organizational performance and
has been an important factor in increasing productivity. Nowadays, information
technology systems are seen as a strategic product that changes the sector struc-
ture and competition between companies instead of cost structure (Porter, 1980;
Clemons & Row, 1991; Segars & Grover, 1995; Çetinkaya, 2007).
Tourism establishments have a structure that provides instant service and
consumption at the same time as the sector in which it is located. Nowadays, the
product and service produced, the tracking of the product and its benefit can be
seen through the technological software brought by the digital transformation.
In addition, technology-based It investments, which is one of the investments
made by tourism enterprises, attract attention. Although these investments have
high costs, they provide a look at the reporting and performance of the company
in many areas such as revenue, expense, guest tracking, solution of technical
problems.
In this section, the phases of digital transformation and the concept of digital
marketing, applications for digital transformation in tourism and digital mar-
keting applications are mentioned.

Digital Transformation and Digital Marketing

The emergence and development of the concept of Industry 4.0 (Digital
Transformation), the last of the modern industrial development for the time
being, has taken several hundred years and until today it has undergone three
major industrial revolutions: 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 (Atar, 2019: 102). The first of
these stages, the first industrial revolution in England in the last quarter of the
18th century occurred. The invention of the steam engine and the replacement
of manual labor triggered the transition to more capital-intensive production
methods (Leighton, 1970: 3). The Industry 1.0 phase allowed production to
increase and enter new markets with the creation of machinery and large-scale
factories that were replacing manpower at the time. In particular, the systematic
proliferation of production was one of the major objectives of industry 1.0.
The Second Industrial Revolution developed in the United States in the
1860s and 1890s (Leighton, 1970: 3). This time, business areas began to shift
from manufacturing to services (Blinder, 2006: 116). The primary aim here is to
ensure the transition to serial production Fordist. Technically Fordism; “It is a
form of production in which industrial production is realized in a significant mass
production, the division of labor and job descriptions are made strictly, product
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 151

standardization brings productivity increases and demand increases accelerate this

standardization” (Eraydın, 1992: 15).
As the third phase, the industry 3.0 phase which is closest to the concept
of 4.0, which is accepted as the beginning of the digital transformation, has
emerged from the fact that the production systems are made with the manage-
ment systems. In other words, this phase enabled the advancements in com-
munication technologies to participate in the production process, enabling the
transition to flexible production systems that can adapt to changing conditions
(Drath & Horch, 2014: 57; Sayer & Ülker, 2014: 67; Can & Kıymaz, 2016: 109;
Qin & Liu & Grosvenor, 2016: 173; Lu, 2017: 3; Yüksel & Genç, 2018: 330; Ünlü
& Atik, 2018: 436). The term Third Industrial Revolution (UED) was first used
by economist Rifkin (2011). He stated that the Third Industrial Revolution was
the integration of internet technology with renewable energy (Rifkin, 2011).
Recently, the concept of industry 4.0 has been frequently encountered in the
literature. The concept actually points to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It
was used for the first time in 2011 at the Hannover Fair in Germany (Schwab,
2017: 16). The necessity of redesigning the production processes (Szegedi et. al.,
2019) in order to respond quickly to consumer demands due to the constant
change in consumer demands has brought this concept to the agenda. The
Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) is a new industrial revolution (Xu
et. al., 2018) that brings more intelligent action to the physical world to create a
digital enterprise that incorporates intelligent digital technologies and advanced
production and operation techniques, as well as communicating, analyzing and
using data (Cotteler & Sniderman, 2017: 2). In the new systems aiming at pro-
duction with automation systems, there are continuity in communication and
cooperation and intelligent production systems formed by machines. It is aimed
to create self-managed production processes both in order to reduce the need
for human factor in production processes and to reduce human-induced errors.
Thus, reduced costs, improved resource efficiency and switching to innovation-
based growth is expected to increase its competitiveness. For this reason, they
follow the process of transformation to Industry 4.0 in both developed and
developing countries.
The concept of digital transformation is a harbinger not only of today but
also of information and technology-based innovations and applications that are
planned to be made in the future (Atar, 2019: 102). Because the said change
and transformation occurs as a result of a certain accumulation and continues
to occur with the rapid progress of science and technology. It is believed that
the concept of industry 4.0, which is constantly changing and innovating, which
takes communities to digitalization, will be different from its present state in
152 Samet Gökkaya

terms of production, consumption structure, processes, and digitalization when

we reach the 2050s (Bağcı, 2018: 124). Table 1 shows the emerging technologies
and industrial revolutions.
Digital marketing can be defined as the digital marketing method that is
realized by using digital channels and realizes all marketing applications in dig-
ital environment (Bulunmaz, 2016: 358). Digital marketing; It enables interac-
tion with the target audience through the Internet, mobile platforms and social
media channels. Digital marketing provides competitive advantages primarily
due to differences such as being able to provide great financial benefit and being
open to innovation, creativity and innovation and simultaneous interaction with
the target audience.
Digital marketing is growing and developing around the World (Watson et.
al., 2013). The basis of this is the widespread use of hand-held electronic com-
munication devices such as mobile phones, digital music players and wireless
internet access devices worldwide. With the increase in the usage of smartphones
and tablets, a platform called mobile platforms has emerged and this area is
used as a very important digital marketing channel. This situation necessitated
two perspectives for institutions to make the content produced compatible
with mobile platforms and the necessity of content-specific content produc-
tion (Bulunmaz, 2016: 358). Nowadays, smartphones have become an active
tool for social media. The use of smartphones, social networking applications
such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn; Video sharing sites such as YouTube;
Photo sharing applications such as Instagram and information retrieval such
as Wikipedia have become much more important than web pages (Safko,
2012: 464). This area, called social media, represents the social networks and
social platforms used by individuals in their interactions and sharing with each
other. In addition, this platform constitutes the digital marketing channel. Here,
institutions communicate with their target audiences and carry out promotional
activities through marketing practices.
Digital marketing consists of four steps: Acquire, Convert, Measure &
Optimize, Retain & Grow. This marketing activity is based on gaining customers
and creating awareness for their own content. In traditional marketing, how-
ever, the customer has to choose from an unlimited number of stimulants and
variables. This feature separates the two. To explain activities called four steps.
In the “Obtain” step, activities are carried out in order to attract the customer to
the website or the page where the sales is performed; In the “Win” step, there are
activities that will help to achieve the goals after the customer arrives at the web-
site. While the “Measure-Optimize” step is very important for understanding
what is wrong and what is done correctly and comparing the organization with
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 153

the competitors, the last step is “Adopt, Enlarge” as the efforts made to sat-
isfy the existing customers and make them permanent customers (Duncan &
Everett, 1993).
With all these explanations, how is the integration of digital transformation
and digital marketing with the tourism sector shaped? What is the reflection of
this transformation, called Tourism 4.0, to the sector?

Digital Transformation in Tourism

The steam engine, invented in 1763, is also regarded as the beginning of the
first industrial revolution, including tourist transport (Gierczak, 2011: 275).
The technologies and inventions developed during this period also had a sig-
nificant impact on the tourism industry. The application of steam engines to
trains and ships can be seen as the most important invention for the tourism
industry (Topsakal et. al., 2018). With the development of tourist transport in
the 1820s San Sebastian destination SPA (Sanus Per Aquam) has been the des-
tination of many tourists to use facilities (Larrinaga, 2005: 93). The seaside visit
also started through SPA facilities. During these years, seaside travels started
with demands for health, recovery and fashionable recognition (Beckerson &
Walton, 2005: 55). During this period, with the change and ease of transpor-
tation of steam engines, Thomas Cook, a gardener in 1841, organized the first
tour organization for Teetotalers Club members between Loughborough and
Leicester. Thomas Cook after this tour events around the world in thirty years in
1845, has established a travel agency, which has become an agent (Enzensberger,
1996: 128).

Industry 4.0
Industry 3.0 Based on cyber-
First programmable physical systems
Industry 2.0 (linking real objects
Industry 1.0 First production line. logic controller (PLC). with information-
The mechanical Mass production Use of electronics and processing/virtual
weaving loom, water using electrical IT for further objects and processes
and steam power. energy. automation. via information
networks
[e.g. the Internet]).
1784 1870 1969 Today

Figure 1: Historical Development of Industry 4.0. Source: (RSA Solutions. 2015)

154 Samet Gökkaya

Table 1: First, Second and Third İndustrial Transformation Technologies

Period TechnologyDate
1631
David Ramsay has been patented by the British government
for a steam-powered heated water pump.
1712 Thomas Newcomen developed the first steam engine in the
UK.
1763 James Watt invented a steam engine.
First İndustrial Revolutio n

1764 James Hargreaves invented a new version of the traditional

spinning machine.
1765 Richard Reynolds introduced the first iron rails in the UK.
1769 Richard Arkwright invented a water-spinning cotton machine.
1802 Richard Trevithick developed the steam locomotive.
1807 The American, Robert Fulton, used the steam engine on ships.
1812 Steam engine was first used in locomotives.
1825 George Stephenson has operated the Locomotion locomotive
along a 32 km track in England. This is the first time a steam
locomotive operated on a public railway track.
1840 The first regular cross-ocean steamer flights began.
1844 Samuel Morse opened the first commercial telegraph service
in the USA.
1876 Alexander Graham Bell - Telephone
Second Industrial Revoluti on

1877 Thomas Edison invented the phonograph.

1879 Thomas Edison flooded the street half a mile in Menlo Park,
New Jersey.
1880’s Conveyor belts / assembly lines with electricity and light
bulbs; Electric lamps = 24 hours working.
1880’s Electric trams / cars 1889 German engineer Gottlieb Daimler
has developed an engine similar to that of today’s cars.
1895 Guglielmo Marconi - Wireless Telegraph / Radio.
1908 Henry Ford introduced the Model T.
1910 Hydroelectric power.
1960s Computer.
Third Industrial

1980s Personal computers.

Revolutio n

1990s Internet
2008 Google’s Android operating system works with HTC Dream
phone introduced.
2010 Apple filled the gap between smart mobile phones and laptops
with a tablet computer.
Source: (Topsakal et. all., 2018)
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 155

The second industrial revolution, which began at the end of the 19th cen-
tury, led to significant technological progress in transport and production.
Automobile, steamer, antenna and telegraph technologies have started to affect
all kinds of developments from economy to social change (Roberts, 2015: 2).
The main facilitating technologies of the second industrial revolution were the
change in power supplies (electric power), transport (railways, automobiles); is
the development of iron and steel production and the invention of the bulb. In
the 19th century, the steam engine became widespread use by rail and steam
vessels, followed by the invention of the gasoline engine and the development of
hard surface roads, which allowed the development of motor tourism.
Cunard, a British company in 1840, made its first transatlantic flights.
Passenger transport has been developed largely due to immigration and has
been used for tourism purposes since World War I (Gierczak, 2011: 275).
Transatlantic travel gained momentum in the 1860s and the concept of the big
tour emerged. Translantic travels are motivated by improved transport, increased
wealth, curiosity and the lure of new experience (Lickorish & Jenkins, 2006: 18).
Developments in the sense of hotel management in 1870, Hotel Ezcurra in 1884
and Hotel Bermejo in 1884 for tourism purposes began to serve in Spain, in
1881, Hotel de Inglaterra and in 1884, Hotel Continental was put into service
(Larrinaga, 2005: 97). In 1872, Thomas Cook organized his first world tour with
a ship called ‘Oceanic’. Traveling by airways started in 1918 and 1919 with reg-
ular lines on Paris-Brussels and London-Paris routes and the first regular flights
on Berlin-Leipzig routes (Gierczak, 2011: 275).
After 1945, tourism has entered a new phase of development with mass
travel. In 1953, the Vickers Viking, a twin-engine aircraft of 36 people, was
designed to take tourists on a two-day tour of Lyon, Barcelona, Madrid, Tangiers,
Casablanca and Agadir (Gierczak, 2011: 275). During this period, the develop-
ment of computers brought technological innovations that led to major changes
in the management of operations. Information technologies and especially the
Internet have increased the demand and supply of tourism worldwide (Kiprutto
et. al., 2011).
The third concept of industrial revolution was first used by economist Rifkin
(2011). The first two industrial revolutions focused on goods (especially manu-
factured goods), while the third focused on services and goods (especially the
integration of services and/or goods) (Tien, 2012: 262). The third period is both
global and local, hence the term üy linguistic ortaya. TIR has begun to change
the way we work, produce and have fun. It has radically changed the way we plan
and manage cities and regions. It has also led to the globalization of production
and the acceleration of business (Roberts, 2015: 2).
156 Samet Gökkaya

Although the technological developments in the 1990s did not change the
organizational structures in the tourism sector, internet usage became wide-
spread. The tourism sector, which is one of the most suitable sectors for the
use of this internet, is benefiting from the internet as in the past in many areas
related to tourism such as ticket sales for tourists, hotel reservations, car rental
and guidance services (Kaya, 2009: 27).
Nowadays, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is located
within the fourth industrial revolution triggered by the development. Industry
4.0 is intelligent automation of technology-based and cyber-physical systems
(Topsakal et. al., 2018). With Industry 4.0, the word olma being smart ‘has entered
the literature. Industry 4.0 has emerged with the introduction of new generation
technologies such as robotic, analytical, artificial intelligence and cognitive tech-
nologies, nanotechnology, quantum informatics, wearable technologies and the
internet of objects into the lives of people and businesses (Cotteler & Sniderman,
2017: 2). Since the tourism industry is rapidly adapting to technology, the use of
Industry 4.0 technologies in the tourism industry has come to the fore and some
academic studies have been started on this subject.
As the tourism industry is affected by new Technologies (Pamukçu &
Tanrısever, 2019: 7), the tourism industry is rapidly adapting to new Technologies
(Dominguez et. al., 2015). Especially the rapidly developing smartphone
applications provide the convenience of tourists to get information about many
issues such as making hotel or flight reservations, information about destinations
and calculating the exchange rate. Smartphones, navigation, information search
and social networks, etc. applications such as mobile applications support many
different features (Wang et. al., 2012: 371). Furthermore, tourists can share their
experiences not only while they are visiting, but also after the trip through smart
phones (Topsakal et. al., 2018). In recent years, smartphone applications have
emerged as a new tool that helps tourists create experiences. Therefore, when the
smart phone and smart phone applications Given the potential impact is better
understood how they could shape the travel experience for tourists of mobile
applications (Wang et. al., 2011).
Smart tourism, which emerged with the new generation technologies
developing with Industry 4.0, can be seen as the transition process from tra-
ditional tourism to e-tourism logic (Hwang et al., 2015: 164). Nowadays, with
the integration of industry 4.0 into tourism, the information and communi-
cation oriented tourism oriented digital transformation elements; Destination
Management System (DMS), Centralized Reservation System (CRS), Customer
Relationship Management (CRM), Management Information Systems
(Electronic Information Systems) used in airports, electronic material transfers,
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 157

digital telephone networks, mobile communication equipment (Poon, 1993;

Kaya, 2009: 29). In addition, in the last minute room reservation and entrance
applications that can be made from mobile environments, as of 2012, it has
started to serve the tourism sector in a way that will increase the quality of life of
the tourists and facilitate their lives (Şanlıöz et. al., 2013: 251).
Virtual reality applications, smart remote video monitoring system, smart
hotel management systems that affect the sustainability of businesses, smart
ticket system, smart tour guide system, smart travel agency system, which en-
able tourists to see the destination center in advance (Atar, 2019: 102). With the
emergence of the concept of tourism 4.0, it is seen as other information and tech-
nology based applications that have started to be used.
Some studies on this issue reveal that digital transformation is considered
important for tourists. For instance; Kramer et. al. (2008) reveals that tourist
preferences can be easily changed via smartphones. Studies on tourist behavior
reveal that tourists often use their mobile phones for photographing and audio/
video recording.

Digital Marketing in Tourism

There are many statements about digital marketing. . Some of those; internet
marketing, online marketing, interactive marketing or e-marketing. As men-
tioned in the previous section, digital marketing basically consists of four steps.
These steps are; Obtain, gain, measure and optimize, claim and grow (Duncan
& Everett, 1993). These four methods are successive, one of which is the con-
tinuation of the other, and is of strategic importance for businesses aiming to
reach their customers through digital marketing activities. The development of
tourism, which started with mass tourism, shapes the present day of tourism
marketing as a result of the cognitive activities of each individual.
The concept of digital change; It can be defined as the process of transitioning
to business transformation forms with digital, social and mobile tools that add
value to the customer by utilizing new technologies, aiming to develop the pro-
cesses of putting the business to work and enabling the companies to increase
their impact and competencies. Digital marketing practices vary according to
customers, companies and sectors due to the characteristics of the digital world.
This change is reflected in the products and services of companies or firms, their
working methods, their working strategies, decision-making processes and their
experiences (Koçak Alan et. al., 2018: 496). This area, which we call the digital
world, provides access to product-services and information much faster than
before. Mobile applications, social media and other applications used through
158 Samet Gökkaya

smartphones and tablets are areas that allow consumers to access unlimited
information while performing their purchasing and ordering activities (Smith,
2011: 492).
In the tourism sector, marketing activities are carried out through many dif-
ferent digital marketing channels. These channels can be listed as motor search
engine marketing (SEM-SEO), e-mail marketing (E-mail marketing), mobile
marketing (mobile marketing), digital content marketing (digital content
marketing).
Search engine marketing (SEM-SEO) involves attracting visitors to websites
and bringing the right visitor to the right product. The more accurate user
behaviors are identified and improved by firms, the more accurately they attract
visitors to their web pages. Search engines are the first resource in the internet
environment that people often refer to in accessing information. Thanks to
the Internet, consumers can obtain more information about a product or ser-
vice before purchasing a product or service and compare it between substitute
products and services. The most popular search engine providers in the world
are Google, Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, and Google is the most
popular (Sezgin & Parlak, 2019: 43).
E-mail marketing, when evaluated from the point of view of tourism
enterprises, enables them to obtain multiple advantages by providing direct
contact with their products and services via e-mail for existing and potential
markets, these;
• Engaging new and existing customers of tourist products and services,
• To improve brand awareness and market position,
• Provide access to research data on all other business and marketing objectives,
• Unlike traditional marketing types, e-mail marketing offers much cheaper
and more efficient reporting.
In line with these objectives, businesses carry out e-mail newsletter marketing
independent of their physical offices in order to have full control and mini-
mize the costs of their campaigns in order to maximize the results. (Cox &
Koelzer, 2005).
The great habit of using mobile devices has become inevitable as a marketing
tool with the presence of companies on digital marketing channels. Mobile
promotions, short message services (SMS), in-app messaging, social media,
e-mail notifications can reach consumers using many formats. Examining the
psychological characteristics of consumers is of great importance in order to
develop successful mobile marketing strategies in the tourism sector (Tan et.
al., 2017). Consumers use the information they need during their travels to
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 159

obtain prices or to make comparisons and to compare them during the pur-
chase phase. The fact that smart phones are seen as a means of communication
and sharing of mobile technologies has enabled it to be widely adopted in the
tourism industry and used as a mobile guide for the discovery of location-
based services (Tussyadiah, 2013). Especially for hotels and travel agencies,
mobile devices provide the opportunity to interact with the consumer at any
time during their digital marketing activities. Tourists with previous experi-
ence using smartphones will tend to use them again. Therefore, tourism mar-
keting organizations should develop applications that can improve the quality
of travel information, provide more effective services and increase the travel
information of the users and contribute to the development of marketing
objectives.
With the social media revolutionizing the communication and access of
the media to the society, today, digital content marketing activities started
to use creative snaps that encourage users to produce content by using the
photos, videos, blogs and comments made by users on the internet rather
than content production. One of the most striking benefits of such consumer-
generated content is the ability to convey emotions and link them to a partic-
ular industry or brand experience. As an example of content marketing, we can
cite Marriott’s in-house content studio in 2014. In 2015, with their short film
Kiss French Kiss ”, they made a huge impact on the internet and experienced
huge increases in reservations in less than two months. The “Two Bellmen”
video series, which is also one of the company’s video projects, has reached
more than 9 million views.

Results
In the tourism sector, as in every sector to position itself in the global market
and have fallen behind technologically leading position followed by tourism
businesses who want to come and to adapt developments. Social media
constitutes a rapidly expanding domain compared to traditional mass media.
These areas, which we use as digital transformation, are important for bringing
together people and communities and increasing the interaction and sharing
between them. Digital transformation has become a part of our lives and even a
focus. Individuals have started to use the internet more and more every day. For
this reason, digital transformation is widely accepted as a necessity and impor-
tance element for enterprises. Because people often use digital channels to plan
their travels. The absence of a tourism business in the digital world in such a
period means that it lags behind all other competitors. Digital platforms can
160 Samet Gökkaya

also be described as important elements for the recognition and branding of

businesses.
With digital marketing channels in tourism today, it has become easier and
faster to access information. Along with the increase in alternative tourism activi-
ties, tourism consumption patterns and habits have also changed. This transforma-
tion is of course related to technological developments and changes in the global
economy. The most prominent purpose of businesses is to continue to exist. From
this point of view, businesses should determine how to reach the target audience,
the most appropriate method for the purpose and develop their advertising and
promotion strategies. In this direction, necessary efforts should be made and dig-
italization should be utilized to the extent necessary. It is thought that the impor-
tance of digitalization in the stage of developing appropriate strategies to keep
in mind as advertisement, promotion and marketing stages will benefit in the
long term.

References
Atar, A. (2019). Dijital Dönüşüm ve Turizme Etkileri, (Ed.: Sezgin, M. &
Özdemir Akgül, S. & Atar, A.) Turizm 4.0 (Dijital Dönüşüm) içinde (p. 99–
114). Ankara: Detay Yayıncılık.
Bağcı, E. (2018). Endüstri 4.0: Yeni Üretim Tarzını Anlamak. Gümüşhane
Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Elektronik Dergisi, 9(24), 122–146.
Beckerson, J. & Walton, J. K. (2005). Selling Air: Marketing the Intangible at
British Resorts, (Editor: Walton, J. K.) In Histories of Tourism Representation,
Identity and Conflict (p. 55–68). Clevedon: Channel View Publications.
Blinder, A. S. (2006). Offshoring: The Next Industrial Revolution?, Foreign
Affairs, 85(2),113–128.
Bulunmaz, B. (2016). Gelişen Teknolojiyle Birlikte Değişen Pazarlama Yöntemleri
ve Dijital Pazarlama, TRT Akademi, 1(2), 348–365.
Can, A. V. & Kıymaz, M. (2016). Bilişim Teknolojilerinin Perakende Mağazacılık
Sektörüne Yansımaları: Muhasebe Departmanlarında Endüstri 4.0
Etkisi. Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, CİEP Özel Sayısı, 107–117.
Clemons, E. K. & Row, M. C. (1991). Information Technology at Rosenbluth
Travel: Competitive Advantage in a Rapidly Growing Global Service
Company. Journal of Management Information Systems, 8(2), 53–80.
Cotteler, M. & Sniderman, B. (2017). Forces of Change: Industry 4.0., Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu Limited, New York.
Cox, B. & Koelzer, W. (2005). Internet Marketing Za Hotele, Restorane
I Turizam. M plus Zagreb.
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 161

Çetinkaya, A. Ş. (2007). Bilişim Teknolojilerinin Konaklama İşletmeleri

Performansına Etkileri: Beş Yıldızlı Otellere Yönelik Bir Araştırma. Selçuk
Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü. Konya.
Drath, R. & Horch, A. (2014). Industrie 4.0: Hit or hype? IEEE Industrial
Electronics Magazine, 8(2), 56–58.
Dominguez, C. D., Hernandez, R. M., Talavera, A. S. & Lopez, E. P.
(2015). “Strategic Determinants in the Theoretical Framework of the
“Smart Islands”: The Case of the Island of El Hierro”, t-FORUM Global
Conference: Tourism Intelligence in Action, (s. 1–28). Naples, Italy.
Duncan, T. R. & Everett, S. E. (1993). Client Perceptions of İntegrated Marketing
Communications. Journal of Advertising Research, 33(3), 30–39.
Engin, B. (2011). Yeni Medya ve Sosyal Hareketler. (Editörler: Binark, M. &
Işık, B. F.) Cesur Yeni Medya “Wikileaks ve 2011 Arap İsyanları Üzerine
Tartışmalar” içinde, (s. 33–37). Alternatif Bilişim: İstanbul.
Enzensberger, H. M. (1996). A Theory of Tourism. New German Critique, No.
68, Special Issue on Literature, 68(Spring – Summer), 117–135.
Eraydın, A. (1992). Post-Fordizm ve Değişen Mekansal Öncelikler. Orta Doğu
Teknik Üniversitesi, Mimarlık Fakültesi.
Gierczak, B. (2011). The History of Tourist Transport after the Modern Industrial
Revolution, Polish Journal of Sport Tourism, 18(4), 275–281.
Hwang, J., Park, H. Y. & Hunter, W. C. (2015). Constructivism in Smart
Tourism Research: Seoul Destination İmage. Asia Pacific Journal of
Information Systems, 25(1), 163–178.
Kagermann, H., Helbig, J., Hellinger, A. & Wahlster, W. (2013).
Recommendations for İmplementing the Strategic İnitiative Industrie
4.0: Securing the Future of German Manufacturing İndustry; Final Report
of the Industrie 4.0 Working Group. National Academy of Science and
Engineering. 13–78.
Kaya, İ. (2009). Otel İşletmelerinde Kullanılan Bilgi-İletişim Teknolojilerinin
İşletmenin Farklı Boyutlarında Yarattığı Değişimler. Cag University Journal of
Social Sciences, 6(2).
Kiprutto, N., Kigio, F. W. & Riungu, G. K. (2011). Evidence on the Adoption
of e-Tourism Technologies in Nairobi, Global Journal of Business Research,
5(3), 55–66.
Koçak Alan. A., Tümer K., E. & Erişke, T. (2018). İletişimin Yeni Yüzü: Dijital
Pazarlama ve Sosyal Medya Pazarlaması. Electronic Journal of Social
Sciences, 17(66).
162 Samet Gökkaya

Kramer, R., Modsching, M. & Ten Hagen, K. (2008). Development and

Evaluation of A Context-Driven, Mobile Tourist Guide. International
Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications, 3(4), 378–399.
Larrinaga, C. (2005). A Century of Tourism in Northern Spain: The
Development of High-quality Provision between 1815 and 1914,
(Editor: Walton, J. K.) In Histories of Tourism Representation, Identity and
Conflict (p. 88–103), Clevedon: Channel View Publications.
Leighton, D. S. R. (1970). The Internationalization of American Business. The
Third Industrial Revolution, Journal of Marketing, 34(3), 3–6.
Lickorish, L. J. & Jenkins, C. L. (2006). An Introduction to Tourism,
Butterworth-Heinemann, Jordan Hill, Oxford.
Lu, Y. (2017). Industry 4.0: a Survey on Technologies, Applications and Open
Research İssues. Journal of Industrial Information Integration, 6, 1–10.
Pamukçu, H. & Tanrısever, C. (2019). Turizm Endüstrisinde Dijital Dönüşüm,
Dijital Dönüşüm ve Turizme Etkileri, (Ed.: Sezgin, M. & Özdemir Akgül,
S. & Atar, A.) Turizm 4.0 (Dijital Dönüşüm) içinde (p. 2–28). Ankara: Detay
Yayıncılık.
Papp, I., Szegedi, Z. & Malouin, M. (2018). The Effect of Industry 4.0 in Shapıng
the Strategy of Logıstıcs in Central-Eastern Europe. International Journal of
Management and Applied Science. 4(10), 10–15.
Poon, A. (1993). Tourism, Technology and Competitive Strategies, CABI
Publishing, UK.87–96.
Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive Strategy. New York: Free Press.
Qin, J., Liu, Y. & Grosvenor, R. (2016). A Categorical Framework of
Manufacturing for İndustry 4.0 and Beyond. Procedia Cirp, 52, 173–178.
Rifkin, J. (2011). The Third Industrial Revolution: How Lateral Power is
Transforming Energy, the Economy, and the World, Palgrave Macmillan,
New York.
Roberts, B. H. (2015). The Third Industrial Revolution: Implications for Planning
Cities and Regions, Urban Frontiers Working Paper 1.
Sezgin, M. & Parlak, O. (2019). Dijital Dönüşüm ve Turizme Etkileri,
(Edit.: Sezgin, M. & Özdemir Akgül, S. & Atar, A.) Turizm 4.0 (Dijital
Dönüşüm) içinde (p. 29–58). Ankara: Detay Yayıncılık.
Smith, K. T. (2011). Digital Marketing Strategies That Millennials Find
Appealing, Motivating, Or Just Annoying. Journal of Strategic Marketing,
19(6), 489–499.
Sayer, S. & Ülker, A. (2014). Ürün Yaşam Döngüsü Yönetimi. Engineer & the
Machinery Magazine, 55(657), 65–72.
 Digital Transformation & Marketing in Tourism Industry 163

Safko, L. (2012). The Social Media Bible – Tactics, Tools & Strategies for Business
Success. Third Edition. John Wiley & Sons, Inc, New Jersey.
Schwab, K. (2017). The Fourth İndustrial Revolution. Currency. 10–17.
Segars, A. H. & Grover, V. (1995). The İndustry-Level İmpact of İnformation
Technology: An Empirical Analysis of Three İndustries. Decision Sciences,
26(3), 337–368.
Szegedi, Z., Papp, I. & Nick, G. A. (2019). The Appearance of Digitalization in
the Strategies of SMEs in Central-Eastern Europe.
Şanlıöz, K., Dilek, E. & Koçak, N. (2013). Değişen Dünya, Dönüşen
Pazarlama: Türkiye Turizm Sektöründen Öncü Bir Mobil Uygulama
Örneği. Anatolia: Turizm Araştırmaları Dergisi, 24(2), 250–260.
Tan, G. W. H., Lee, V. H., Lin, B. & Ooi, K. B. (2017). Mobile Applications in
Tourism: The Future of the Tourism İndustry? Industrial Management & Data
Systems, 117(3), 560–581.
Tien, J. M. (2012). The Next Industrial Revolution: Integrated Services and
Goods, Journal of Systems Science and Systems Engineering, 21(3), 257–296.
Topsakal, Y. (2018). “Akıllı Turizm Kapsamında Engelli Dostu Mobil
Hizmetler: Türkiye 4.0 İçin Öneriler”, Journal of Tourism Intelligence and
Smartness, 1(1), 1–13.
Topsakal, Y. & Çelik, P. (2017). Turizmde Yeni Bir Strateji: Akıllı
Destinasyonlar, (Editörler: Haşit, G., Çiftçi, H. ve Merter, M. E.) Sosyo
Ekonomik Stratejiler 1 İşletme içinde (p. 96–106) IJOPEC Publication,
Londra.
Topsakal, Y., Yüzbaşıoğlu, N. & Çuhadar, M. (2018). Endüstri Devrimleri ve
Turizm: Türkiye Turizm 4.0 Swot Analizi ve Geçiş Süreci Önerileri. Süleyman
Demirel Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 23,
1623–1638.
Tussyadiah, I. (2013). When Cell Phones Become Travel Buddies: Social
Attribution to Mobile Phones in Travel. Information and Communication
Technologies in Tourism 2013 (p. 82–93). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Ünlü, F. & Atik, H. (2018). Türkiye’deki İşletmelerin Endüstri 4.0’a Geçiş
Performansı: Avrupa Birliği Ülkeleri ile Karşılaştırmalı Ampirik
Analiz. Ankara Avrupa Çalışmaları Dergisi, 17(2), 431–463.
Wang, D., Park, S. & Fesenmaıer, D. R. (2011). An Examination of Information
Services and Smartphone Applications, 16th Annual Graduate Student
Research Conference in Hospitality and Tourism, 6-8 January 2011,
Houston, Texas.
164 Samet Gökkaya

Wang, D., Park, S. & Fesenmaıer, D. R. (2012). The Role of Smartphones

in Mediating the Touristic Experience, Journal of Travel Research,
51(4),371–387.
Watson, C., McCarthy, J., & Rowley, J. (2013). Consumer Attitudes towards
Mobile Marketing in Smart Phone Era. International Journal of Information
Management, 33(5), 840–849.
Xu, L. D., Xu, E. L. & Li, L. (2018). Industry 4.0: State of The Art and Future
Trends. International Journal of Production Research, 56(8), 2941–2962.
Yüksel, M. & Genç, K. Y. (30 Kasım 2018). Endüstri 4.0 ve Liderlik. Setscı-
Conference Indexing System, 2nd Intenational Symposium on Innovative
Approaches in Scientific Studies, 3, 338–341.

View publication stats