Perceptions of Hotel Top Managers for Opportunities and Strategic Collaboration with a Foreign Partner in Tourism Sector: An Applied Research in Alanya Destination

Abstract

This study aims to measure the perceptions of hotel top managers about the opportunities in tourism sector and their desire to make a partnership with a foreign investor. The study also focuses on measuring the perceptions of top managers about attractive sectors to invest in Turkey, the supports needed in tourism sector, key institutions which can support tourism firms, obstacles for tourism opportunities, preferences for foreign partners, supports expected from foreign partners. And top managers of three-stars, four-stars, and five stars hotels operating in Alanya were included in the research. At the end of the survey completed in December 2011, a total of 95 completed questionnaires were returned (50.3 percent response rate) from 189 top managers of these hotels. Research results indicate that managers think that tourism is an opportunity sector to invest in Turkey and they have a desire to invest in tourism sector with a foreign partner. Furthermore, Anova-Test results do show that no statistical relationship between the evaluations of managers with research items and their demographic variables is found.