From “Yellow Taxi Lobby” to Infrastructural Power: Tourism Stakeholder Salience and Uber’s Contentious Compliance in Türkiye

Abstract

In many destinations, sharing economy platforms have transformed travel services and tourist experiences. This study analyses stakeholder perceptions of power and decision-making during Uber's contested market entry in Istanbul and Antalya. In Türkiye, the taxi lobby wields considerable influence through longstanding political connections and electoral leverage. Using an elite sampling strategy, 24 interviews were conducted with representatives from local government, tourism associations, trade unions, and hotel management. A thematic analysis was informed by stakeholder salience theory and the notion of ‘infrastructural power’. Findings indicate that tourism stakeholders viewed the taxi lobby as omnipotent, with the greatest power, legitimacy, and urgency. Stakeholders lacked a united voice and the power to challenge government decision-making. Uber's strategy of ‘contentious compliance’ and resultant ‘infrastructural power’ was imperceptible, enabling them to manipulate stakeholders and governance structures. Theoretically, the study highlights how infrastructural power reorders stakeholder prioritisation, and practically, we propose infrastructural audits to monitor technological dependency.