An Analysis of the Views of Turkish Tourists Participating in the Blue Cruise Trip as an Area of Maritime Tourism Business a Case Study

Abstract

Maritime tourism also includes many sub-areas in sub-areas of maritime business. One of these sub-areas is cruise business. Blue sea cruise, which means a weekly voyage in Turkey (blue voyage) tourism is an alternative tourism area carried by sea to a variety of ports and bays. In order to compete and enter new markets and get a share of these markets, yacht enterprises from this growing tourism area need to analyze the customer's wishes and needs and their opinions on cruise travel. The purpose of this study is to examine the reasons of Turkish customers choosing the blue cruise trip, their wishes and needs and their opinions about the services provided. In order to achieve this aim, in-depth interview technique was used and the interviews were conducted between August and September 2018 in Bodrum, one of the most important destinations of the blue voyage. In the research, it was determined that Turkish cruise tourists preferred blue cruise to get away from the problems on land, to visit different and clean bays, to swim and rest in more quiet and cleaner environment and to be satisfied with the services provided.

Keywords: blue cruise voyage, depth interwiev, maritime tourism business, Turkish cruise tourists