Abstract
Examination of Architectural Buildings as a Destination Attraction Element: Izmir Case
Architectural structures that make touristic destinations competitive are the focus of tourists because they are attractive. Destinations where tourists spend time are geographical places that consist of a combination of tourism products and elements that may attract the attention of visitors. In order for a region or service to be considered as a tourism product, it must be attractive. Museums, monuments, places of worship, and historical cities in the region are among such attractive structures. The determination of the destination attractiveness elements has an important place in terms of revealing the reasons for the preference of the visiting tourists. When evaluated in this respect, İzmir, one of the provinces with a rich cultural identity in Turkey, is among the prominent destinations with its historical structures. Tourists visiting destinations can share their positive and negative evaluations on different platforms on the internet. The aim of this study is to determine the features that come to the fore in the attractiveness of the buildings by examining the comments of the tourists visiting the architectural structures in İzmir. The data obtained from TripAdvisor, one of the largest travel information source platforms in the world, which is considered suitable for the purpose of the study, were evaluated according to the content analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods. Some implications made by the analysis include six themes: visit information, historical information, interior and exterior features, recommendations, and destination and visitor experience.
Keywords
Destination, Destination Attraction Elements, Architectural Buildings
