THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS IN MARKET SEGMENTATION: CAPPADOCIA EXAMPLE

Purpose- The main aim of this study is to reveal whether a different market segmentation is necessary for domestic and foreign tourists visiting a destination with different socio-cultural factors, and various motivations. In order to reach this aim, a field work was carried out on British, German and Turkish tourists visiting Cappadocia destination. Methodology- Face-to-face survey method was used in the research. In the questionnaire there are demographic features and sociocultural factors which cause the preference of Cappadocia destination and expressions to measure motivational elements. The survey was conducted on 398 people who were identified by convenience sampling.  Findings- Research findings reveal that socio-cultural factors affecting British, German and Turkish tourists visits to Cappadocia are different from each other. Therefore, it appears that the British, German, and Turkish tourists differs in terms of the influence of family members, friends, specimens, and cultural reasons. Similar differences are seen on motivational factors affecting to choose Cappadocia. While domestic tourists express the reason of coming to this destination as “because it is fashion.” British tourists state that they prefer this destination “because it is multi-cultural region.” Germens enounce that they choose this destination “because of its local dishes”. Conclusion- As a result of the research, it has been revealed that tourists visiting Cappadocia destination with motivations and different socio-cultural factors can create different market segments in terms of tourism firms. The study was concluded with suggestions to academicians and practitioners.