TRAVEL MOTIVES AND SERVICE EXPECTATION OF DOMESTIC TOURISTS IN THERMAL TOURISM

Abstract

At the last periods, thermal tourism has enhanced its value as a requested type of tourism in terms of particularly health and treatment, than relaxing, escaping and resting at the both national and international levels. In this sense, scientific researches related to thermal tourists has become crucial owing to enhancing the competitive power and providing journey repetition for the tourists. In this study, the main aim is revealing the journey motives of domestic tourists who prefer their journey with thermal theme, their expectations from the thermal facility services and the relationship between both. Accorging to this aim, in order to collect valid data, survey was applied to 408 domestic tourists who had visited Haymana Hot Springs between the period of September 2016 to January 2017. Within the context of analysis of the survey data, journey of domestic tourists is shaped respectively as health (x=4,45), relaxing (x=4,46), escaping (x=4,16), prestige and entertainment. The expectations from the thermal facility services occur with the usage areas of the facilities, the cleanliness of the equipments provided, the degree and quality of hot water, qualified serving personnels who obey to hygenic rules, quality of service and products, calmliness of thermal facility, keeping medical personnel at the facility, presenting detail information about the hot spring water and locating resting saloons. Also, as part of Correlation Analysis applied for relationship between thermal tourists’ journey motives and expectation of thermal facility, a low level positive directional and significant relationship (r=0,298; p=0,000) is determined.