International Tourists’ Selection Criteria for Choosing All-Inclusive Package Tours: An Application in Istanbul

The objective of this study was to determine the reasons why foreign tourists travelling to Istanbul for cultural purposes prefer all inclusive package tours. The sample group consisted of foreign tourists who visited Istanbul on an all inclusive package tour between May and July of 2013. Data were obtained from 397 tourists for the study by using a survey to measure the preference for all inclusive package tours. Descriptive analyses such as mean, standard deviation as well as statistical tests such as factor analysis, reliability analysis, t-test and variance analysis were used to analyze the obtained data. The study revealed that the main reasons why foreign tourists coming to Istanbul preferred all inclusive package tours were tour arrangements & service quality, attractions, hotels & airlines. In other words it was evident that when foreign tourists preferred all inclusive package tours when coming to Istanbul they prioritized issues such as the experience of the travel agency, its reputation and the service quality of the tour. Furthermore it was determined that in their preference for all inclusive package tours foreign tourists also underlined the importance of historical and cultural attractions as well as natural attractions, the quality of hotels and the amenities they provided.