A netnographic analysıs of tourists' memorable tourısm experıences: the case of historical Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar ın Istanbul

Abstract

PurposeTo provide visitors with a variety of experiences, tourism is a collection of activities that might leave a lasting impact on them. Anticipating and understanding what makes visitors memorable can give destinations and tourism marketers a competitive advantage. Regarding this, the purpose of this study is to investigate the memorable tourism experiences of international tourists who have visited the Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar in Istanbul.Design/methodology/approachThe comments made by travelers from abroad on TripAdvisor following their experiences were examined using a netnographic analysis methodology. The data were collected from the most recent to the oldest comments posted on tourist experiences about historical Egyptian (spice) bazaar (n: 825).FindingsIn line with the findings obtained from the reviews examined, six components were determined that make the tourists' experiences memorable: ambience (1), novelty (2), hedonism (3), local culture (4), knowledge (5) and price (6).Originality/valueThe memorable Egyptian (Spice) Bazaar experiences of international tourists analyzed within the scope of the research were in line with the dimensions of novelty, hedonism, knowledge and local culture of the study conducted by (Kim & Ritchie, 2014); ambience and product price were found to be the two different dimensions. It can be stated that results of the study can help to develop effective strategies to improve the competitiveness of the destination.