Measuring the tendencies of Kastamonu University students to be volunteer tourism ambassador: A model proposal

Today, the efforts of both the country and the region and the institutions / organizations to be preferred, recognized and known in the increasing competitive environment are increasing day by day. In this context, more attention is paid to promotion and efforts are made to attract attention with different options. In this study, the role of university students in making Kastamonu a well-known and known city is emphasized. In this context, the relevant literature was reviewed, and basic information was given about the tourist attractions of Kastamonu, the concept of voluntary tourism embassy and the reasons that lead people to travel. The study was carried out for all students studying at Kastamonu University but not from Kastamonu. The main reason why the study was carried out at Kastamonu University is that Kastamonu is a city with a high tourism potential, but still has not received a share of tourism at the desired level. In the study, the general attitudes of Kastamonu University students towards Kastamonu, their willingness to promote Kastamonu's touristic values and their willingness to become a volunteer tourism ambassador were tried to be determined. The aim of the study is to reveal the willingness of non-Kastamonu students, who are studying in any educational institution of Kastamonu University, to promote Kastamonu's touristic attractions during and after their education. Another aim of the study is to propose a model in this context, to create an education program in Kastamonu University Tourism Faculty and to provide students with the touristic attraction of Kastamonu theoretically and practically. In addition, in this context, it is aimed to create a website under the name of Kastamonu Tourism Volunteers Community. In this direction, survey technique, which is one of the quantitative research methods, and convenience sampling method, which is one of the non-random sampling methods, were used to measure the tendency of Kastamonu University students to be volunteer tourism ambassadors. From the population determined by the questionnaire technique used, 405 samples were reached. The tendency of Kastamonu University students to be volunteer tourism ambassadors was analyzed from various aspects through the package program. With the data obtained as a result of the research, independent two-group difference tests, frequency and factor analysis were performed. As a result of the factor analysis, seven different dimensions were obtained. These; "support for promotion", "tourism opportunities", "possibilities of Kastamonu", "voluntary tourism ambassador", "having knowledge", "natural and cultural heritage" and "attitude towards Kastamonu". As a result of the independent two-group difference test, it was seen that there was a significant difference between the gender, age, program, school type and class variables of the participants. Similarly, there is a significant difference between the reasons for choosing Kastamonu University, whether they have attended a college program before, the place where they live constantly, the number of siblings, the coexistence of the parents, how the participants cover their expenses during the education process, the professional status of the parents and their monthly income. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are given in line with the results obtained.