Abstract
1-Introduction
2-The aim of the research
3-Methods
4-Results & Discussion
5-Conclusion
References
Abstract
Since smart phones has become popular, we have been introduced to a huge volume of mobile applications. Every day, we are able to find a new mobile application for different purposes. With these applications, we can edit our photos or contact people on social networks. The main aim of this study is to determine the students’ opinions on Tourism impact using Mobile Applications. In line with this aim, the authors developed a 5-point Likert-type scale consisting of 20 positive statements. The scale was administered to 352 distance learning students during the 2014-2015 spring terms at Near East University. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS 22. The results showed that students prefer Trip Advisor application to find historical places and they select places to visit after they read user comments. Students also revealed that booking.com are more reliable than other applications. Besides, students prefer to download maps applications and they use GPS when they travel the cities.
Introduction
With today’s rapid development and introduction of smart phones into our lives, many mobile applications have become a part of our lives (Dewitt & Siraj, 2011; Dedeoglu, Karahoca, Temel & Pinarbas,2012; Al Bataineh, 2014) With today’s rapid development and introduction of smart phones into our lives, many mobile applications have become a part of our lives (Thiam, 2013, Adak, 2014; Mustafina, Kalpeyeva & Mazhenov, 2014; Kucuk & Orhan, ۲۰۱۵). Active use of social media and several applications has made the individuals use technology in their daily lives and touristic activities and make their choices on this basis. As the social media and smart phone applications are used more commonly and users share their vacation experiences with their photographs and comments, they leave a certain amount of impression on people (Xiang & Gretzel, 2010; Fadare, Aladeselu, Ekuobase, Aboderin & Kumuyi, 2013). The fact that the rating system used on such websites as TripAdvisor depends on users also has positive impressions (Banerjee & Chua, 2016). The comments and ratings made by many different users allow other users to be informed about the places that they would like to visit and accommodate and trust such places (Baka, 2016; Jeacle & Carter, 2011). This study focuses on how the tourism applications on smart phones affect the opinions of students.