USING SPATIAL DATA ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES IN TOURISM: A CASE STUDY ON ACCOMMODATION IN TURKEY BY DISTRICTS

Abstract

Monitoring the changes occurring over time in the spatial distribution of tourism and the interpretation of the effects of these changes correctly will contribute to tourism planning practices more efficiently and effectively. In this study, the spatial distribution of the number of accommodations in Turkey was analyzed by districts between 2000 and 2013. The study aimed at analyzing the size, distribution, and spatial clustering of accommodations by districts between 2000 – 2013, and how this clustering changed over the 14-year period. The number of accommodations by districts was obtained from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) for the time period between 2000 and 2013. Temporal and spatial analysis of the data was carried out using ArcGIS 10.1 software. In the study, first, the distribution of the number of tourists accommodated in the facilities certified by the Ministry was mapped by districts for the years 2000, 2005, and 2013, then the tourism development model of the districts was generated. The spatial distribution of the accommodations by districts was assessed by using Average Centers, Weighted Average Centers, Standard Distance, and Standard Deviation Ellipses. Spatial clustering of the accommodations was analyzed with Spatial Autocorrelation (Moran’s I, LISA, Getis Ord Gi*).

Keywords

• Tourism
• Spatial Analysis
• Accommodation
• Turkey