A Model proposal for the development of tourist train routes in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to thoroughly examine the operation of tourist trains worldwide and in Turkey and, accordingly, to propose a model for the development of railway tourism in Turkey. Additionally, as a secondary objective, the activities carried out by the examined tourist trains in the context of alternative tourism were also analyzed. In line with this main objective, the research consists of three sections. Multiple qualitative methods were used in the study, which used more than one qualitative data collection technique and corresponding qualitative analysis procedures. The first section aims to provide an in-depth understanding of how tourist train operations are conducted. In this context, data on tourist trains operating worldwide and the services provided on these trains were collected through document analysis. In the second phase of the study, e-reviews by tourists who have traveled on tourist trains were analyzed. To access these e-reviews, netnography was used as a data collection tool. The third phase aimed to identify the general structure of tourist train operations in Turkey. For this purpose, the opinions of managers of tourist train enterprises operating in Turkey were sought. Interviews were used as the data collection tool for this phase. At the end of the data collection process, conducted in three phases, the data obtained were analyzed using content analysis at the end of each phase. In the first phase, the regional distribution of the trains, their physical structures, and the general content of the journeys undertaken by the trains were identified. In the second phase, the motivations of passengers during tourist train journeys and the factors affecting their satisfaction with the tourist train experience were determined. In the third phase, the current state of railway tourism in Turkey, strategies to improve the service quality of tourist train journeys, and potential railway tourism routes were identified. Based on the findings from the three sections, a model proposal for railway tourism has been developed.