ANALYSIS OF VISITOR REVIEWS ON THE CITTÁSLOW EĞIRDIR: THE TRIPADVISOR EXAMPLE

Abstract

The primary purpose of this research is to determine visitors’ perceptions of Eğirdir and the factors that positively and negatively affect the visitor experience by examining the comments of individuals who visited Eğirdir after it became a slow city. Qualitative research method was adopted in the study. The data were obtained by document review. In this context, the comments on TripAdvisor by individuals who visited Eğirdir from 2018 to 2022 were noted. These comments were analysed by content analysis. The themes were evaluated within themselves as positive and negative. 119 of the 186 comments were made in a wonderful category, while 151 comments were written in Turkish. The comments were examined within the scope of 11 themes. These themes are Eğirdir, Lake Eğirdir, calmness, cleanliness, local foods, activities, local people, restaurant businesses, accommodation businesses, prices and promotion. The most highlighted themes in the comments are Eğirdir and Lake Eğirdir. In the positive evaluations of the Eğirdir theme, its natural beauty and scenery were emphasized. In contrast, in the negative comments, the construction problem of Eğirdir and the lack of sufficient attention to tourism were noted. The positive comments on the Lake Eğirdir theme stated that it is a magnificent lake and should be seen. The negative comments on the Lake Eğirdir theme mentioned that it was not clean and there were too many flies.