A STUDY ON DESTINATION HOSPITALITY: THE CASE OF TÜRKİYE

This study assesses the local community's perceptions of tourism hospitality in T & uuml;rkiye and examines the predictive capacity of these perceptions on attitudes toward tourism effects. Addressing the cultural, social, and emotional dimensions of hospitality, this research posits that the tourism experience is underpinned not only by economic but also by sociopsychological foundations. This study used a quantitative, correlational survey method, collecting 523 online responses using the Destination Hospitality and the Attitudes towards Tourism Effect scales. The validity and reliability of both scales were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The resulting fit indices indicated that the models demonstrated an acceptable level of fit within the Turkish sample. The data analysis involved several statistical techniques: descriptive statistics, regression, correlation, t-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings indicated that participants generally held moderate-to-high perceptions of destination hospitality and maintained positive attitudes toward tourism. Hospitality, particularly the dimensions of hospitable behaviors' and atmosphere and safety, was found to significantly predict and enhance positive attitudes toward tourism. Conversely, the influence of the infrastructure and service facilities dimension was found to be minimal. Furthermore, demographic analysis revealed that younger, unemployed, and high-income individuals reported higher perceptions of hospitality and held correspondingly more positive attitudes toward tourism. These results underscore that destination hospitality functions as a potent variable in shaping societal attitudes toward tourism.