THE SOCIAL MEDIA FACTOR IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND PROMOTION OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM

Turizm ile din tarih boyunca "Hac ziyaretleri" sayesinde birbirleriyle işbirliği halinde olmuşlar. Bugünkü inanç turizmi kavramının temeli bu işbirliğine dayanmaktadır. İnanç turizmi de dahil olmak üzere turizmin tüm sektörlerinin varlıklarını sürdürebilmeleri için önce tanıtıma sonra da destinasyonlarını ve bu destinasyonlarda uygulayacakları gezi programlarını pazarlamaya ihtiyaçları vardır. İnternet teknolojisinin gelişmesiyle ortaya çıkan "sosyal medya" organları, her iki alanda da rahatlıkla kullanılabilecek uygun araçlar olarak görülmektedir. Yapılan bilimsel araştırmalarda sosyal medya kullanımı ile müşterilerin satınalma veya vazgeçme kararları arasında güçlü bir ilişkinin var olduğu ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu ilişki, inanç turizmi sektöründe destinasyonların ve tur programlarının pazarlanmasında etkin bir destek olarak kullanılabilir. Araştırmacılara göre, sosyal medya organları aracılığıyla gezi izlenimlerini eş, dost arkadaşlarıyla paylaşan kişiler, yakın bir zaman içinde bir yerlere gezi yapmayı planlayan başka kişilerin gezi destinasyonlarından, kalacakları otellere, yemek yiyecekleri lokantaların seçimine kadar tüm gezi planları üzerinde büyük ölçüde etkili olabilmektedirler. Sosyal medya her tür iş kolu için çok faydalı bir tanıtım ve pazarlama aracı olarak görülmektedir. Ancak her araç gibi sosyal medyanın da faydalı ve zararlı yönleri vardır. Sosyal medya, kendisini akıllıca kullanan işyerlerini hayalini bile kuramayacakları uzak ufuklara taşır ama aksi durumlarda ise faydadan daha çok zarar getirir. Literatürde, sosyal medya faktörünün, inanç turizminin tanıtım ve gelişmesinde oynayabileceği rol üzerinde yapılmış bir araştırmaya rastlanmıyor. Bu çalışmanın amacı, hem literatürdeki bu boşluğu doldurmak hem de sosyal medyanın, inanç turizminin tanıtım ve pazarlamasında oynayabileceği rolün öneminin araştırmak ve ortaya çıkabilecek muhtemel sorunlara çözüm yolları üretilmesi olacaktır.

İNANÇ TURİZMİNİN TANITIMINDA VE GELİŞİMİNDE SOSYAL MEDYA FAKTÖRÜ

Tourism and religion have been in co-operation with each other due to the"Hajj pilgrimage" throughout history. The concept of religious tourism of today is based on this co-operation. All sectors of tourism, including religious tourism, need publicity first and then to market their destinations and the travel programs for survival. The emerging "social media networks " that appeared after the developments in Internet technology are thought to be useful tools in both fields. Scientific researches have discovered a strong relationship between the use of social media and consumers' purchasing decisions or renunciation. This relationship can be used as an efficient support in promoting and marketing of destinations and tour programs in religious tourism industry. According to reseachers, people, who share their past travel experiences with friends and relatives on the social media, can be effective on the travel plans of others, from choosing destinations to hotels and restaurants. Social media is seen as a great tool of promotion and marketing for all kinds of businesses but like any other tools, social media have useful and harmful aspects. If they are used cleverly, social media can carry businesses to distant horizons beyond their imaginations but improper use of social media can do more harm than good. There is no study which examines the role of social media in promoting and development of religious tourism. The purpose of this study is to research the importance of the role that social media can play in the development and promotion of religious tourism and produce solutions to probable problems that may arise.

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