Determining the current situation of online marketing software for the Turkish hotel sector: A qualitative research on software companies

Businesses have to go through the transformation of digital technology in order to increase their competitiveness in trade and manage their activities in the most efficient way with the developing technology. This digital transformation seems inevitable for tourism businesses as well. Technological softwares replace traditional marketing tools in tourism marketing. In addition to this, the stakeholders benefiting from the market share in tourism marketing, which is transformed with technology and has to become increasingly transparent, is increasing day by day. Due to the competitive environment, the structure of the tourism market has become increasingly complex. In addition, it is thought that the transition to digital transformation in sales and marketing activities outside the city hotels in tourism destinations is very weak and those who have converted to digital transformation do not use software applications efficiently enough. The aim of this research is to determine the effectiveness, functioning and future applications of online marketing products in the hotel industry in tourism sector about the current services, applications and future projects of online software companies operating in tourism in Turkey. For this reason, interviews were conducted with 12 online software company managers who participated in EMITT tourism fair. The data obtained as a result of the interviews were coded and interpreted through content analysis with the support of the MAXQDA 2018 qualitative data analysis program. According to the data obtained, a main theme, five categories (themes) and fourteen sub-themes emerged. The results of the research provide the current status of online information technologies software applications in terms of marketing strategies in the hospitality sector. For this reason, it is important both on academic and sectoral basis. Nowadays, hotel guests are transformed technologically and looking for the best in a fast and practical way, it has been revealed with the data obtained from the participants that the hotels closely follow the new technological developments and determine the sales marketing informatics products which are the most suitable for their own management strategies and implementing them.