Ecological sustainable product management in travel agencies: A qualitative research on Turkey

This study aims to determine the sustainability components considered by travel agencies, all of which are members of The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), as they develop products and manage them within the framework of sustainability activities towards saving the environment. This study also aims to investigate what obstacles these agencies may encounter as they carry out sustainability activities, what opportunities they may attain through these activities, whether they have written policies, and whether they are involved in activities towards mass tourism. The semi-structured interview technique, which is a qualitative research method, was employed in this study to seek answer to the research questions prepared for these agencies. With this in mind, 19 of the aforementioned travel agencies were interviewed, but three of them refused to participate in this study and so were excluded from the study samples. The data obtained were evaluated with the aid of the content analysis, the results of which revealed that 18 of these agencies did not have a in particular sustainability policy, and only 10 of them were involved in activities direct or indirect activities towards mass tourism. These taken into account, the processes these agencies had been going through were categorized as developing and managing products, presentation of products, and evaluation of products. As a result, all these agencies were determined to be involved in activities towards protect the natural environment. Furthermore, it was determined that the chief obstacles faced by these agencies in carrying out the sustainability activities were financial inadequacies and lack of a policy that could help them manage their business activities within the country. İn addition to, it was determined that these agencies carried out sustainability activities for financial gains and a good corporate image. Keywords: Ecological Sustainability, Sustainability in the Travel Agencies, Sustainability, Travel Agencies, Turkey