POSITIONING THE HISTORIC PENINSULA OF ISTANBUL AS A WORLD CLASS CULTURAL HERITAGE TOURISM DESTINATION:

Students from The George Washington University and Bogazici University working together on a Sustainable Management Strategy

As part of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) - TedQual International Volunteers Programme 16 students from The George Washington University (GW) School of Business and 12 students from Bogazici University worked together to position the Historic Areas of Istanbul as a world class cultural heritage tourism destination. The project was carried out as part of a consulting practicum for students from the two universities and was supported by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Municipality of Eminönü, as well as a number of business associations representing the tourism industry.

The student consulting team worked in Istanbul for two weeks in June (June 17-29). The GW group includes students from both the MBA (Master of Business Administration) program and the MTA (Master of Tourism Administration) programs under the guidance of Dr. Donald Hawkins and Milena Nikolova. The BU students are from the Department of Tourism Administration and are lead by Assist. Prof. Dr. Maria Alvarez and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sukru Yarcan. The UNWTO – Tedqual Volunteers program is headed by Dr. Eduardo Fayos-Sola, Executive President of the UNWTO – Themis Foundation.

During their two-week assignment in Istanbul the student consulting team focused on four important components:

• Tourism Market Analysis of the Historic Peninsula of Istanbul directed at proposing actions for improved utilization of contemporary marketing techniques and enhanced capitalization on events such as the “Istanbul 2010: Culture Capital of Europe”.
• Analysis of the Infrastructure Needs and Transportation Systems in the Historic Peninsula to identify opportunities for alternative approaches to alleviating pressure on current infrastructure.
• Analysis of Tourist and Resident Flows to identify strategies for improved visitor flow management and outline an appropriate heritage management plan.
• Analysis of Tourism Service Quality to identify opportunities for improved and consistent service quality.

The team presented its findings and recommendations at a formal presentation on June 25 at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, after an opening speech made by Nevzat Er, Mayor of the Eminönü municipality, and Abdullah Çinar, board member of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. Following the presentation, a final report including a detailed analysis of the recommendations given for the destination by the student consulting team was provided to the main tourism stakeholders.