Covid-19 Salgını Öncesi ve Sürecinde Ziyaretçi Sayılarında ve Tercihlerinde Oluşan Değişiklikler: KKTC’yi Ziyaret Eden Yabancı Turistler Üzerine Bir Çalışma (Changes in Visitor Numbers and Preferences Before and During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Study on Foreign Tourists Visiting TRNC)

Abstract

The Covid-19 pandemic has become a global crisis that affects the whole world and country economies. One of the sectors most affected by this pandemic is the tourism sector. This crisis was also reflected in tourism statistics, and there were differences in the number of visitors before and during the pandemic, and visitor preferences were seriously affected by this pandemic. In the study, a 9-item questionnaire was applied to 300 European-based visitors who visited the TRNC in the past years regarding holiday planning for 2021, and the questionnaire data answered online were analyzed with descriptive statistical methods. The study aims to share the changes in the preferences of the visitors who prefer the TRNC from abroad due to the pandemic with the accommodation facilities and guide them. As a result of the study, it has been revealed that post-pandemic visitors will prefer safer accommodation types that have experienced the pandemic with very few cases and have a very high level of precautions and practices. In addition, it has been determined that small hotels will be preferred more than large hotels and the concept of health will be the most important visitor preference criterion for the accommodation sector.