Türkiye’nin Sosyoekonomik Değişkenlerinin Turizm Endüstrisine Etkileri: Kümeleme Analizi (The Effects of Turkey's Socioeconomic Variables on the Tourism Industry: Cluster Analysis)

Neslihan CAVLAK; Bige KÜÇÜKEFE

doi:10.63556/jotags.2026.1890

Authors

Neslihan CAVLAK
Bige KÜÇÜKEFE

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63556/jotags.2026.1890

Keywords:

Tourism development, Socioeconomic determinants, Regional heterogeneity, Clustering analysis, Türkiye

Abstract

Tourism development is considered a significant driver of regional economic growth. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between regional socioeconomic structures and tourism development in Turkey. The study reveals the regional heterogeneity of tourism demand and supply in Turkey and allows for the analysis of dynamics specific to the socioeconomic structures of different destinations. Using data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUİK) for 26 Level-2 regions from 2014–2023, indicators of income inequality, education, labor market conditions, health infrastructure, migration dynamics, and tourism intensity were analyzed. To determine regional socioeconomic structures, an unsupervised clustering method based on k-means after z-score standardization of all variables was applied. The optimal number of clusters was determined by using both the Elbow and Silhouette methods. The findings reveal three distinct regional profiles: less developed regions characterized by low human capital and weak tourism performance; moderately developed regions exhibiting balanced socioeconomic conditions and moderate tourism intensity; and highly developed regions with strong tourism performance supported by advanced human capital and public infrastructure, but higher income inequality.

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