Investigation of value chain elements in tourism in terms of digitalization in the context of actor network theory: The case of accommodation businesses

Digitalization is included in business processes in the tourism sector as in most sectors. Therefore, it is seen that the inclusion of digitalization in business processes in accommodation businesses adds value in terms of providing convenience, gaining competitive advantage and creating difference. However, to make sense of the position of digitalization among the elements of the value chain, these elements need to be determined more clearly. For this reason, the purpose of the study is to determine the location of the value chain elements of digitalization from the perspective of hospitality businesses and to position the position of digitalization among these elements based on "Actor Network Theory". In line with the purpose of the study, a literature review of the concept of digitalization was conducted in the first section. The process from the industrial revolutions to the present day is explained chronologically. In the second section, the concept of value chain is reviewed in the literature and its functioning in the tourism sector is mentioned. In the third section, Actor Network Theory, on which the study is based, is discussed from different perspectives. The fourth and final section includes the methodology of the study, data collection processes and findings. For the purpose of the study, qualitative research techniques were used, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 hotel managers between November 2023 and February 2024. The participants were asked 11 research questions, and their answers were divided into themes and sub-themes through content analysis. According to the results of the research, the concepts identified as actors in the value chain of hospitality businesses were identified and visualized with a network map of digital tools.