This paper evaluates the impact of the 2001 economic crisis on the tourism industry in Turkey. The research findings reveal that neither the government nor private organizations had any plans for dealing with the crisis before or after the event. It had both negative and positive impacts although its benefits were often overlooked. The overall implication of the study is that national culture, the level of economic development of a country, the availability of financial resources, and the ability and knowledge of its government officials and managers of private firms have a direct impact on how such an event is responded to and managed.Résumé: L'impact d'une crise économique: témoignage de Turquie. Cet article examine l'impact de la crise économique de l'an 2000 sur l'industrie du tourisme en Turquie. Les résultats des recherches révèlent que ni le gouvernement ni les organisations ou les entreprises privées n'avaient aucun plan pour traiter avec la crise avant ou après l'événement. La crise a eu des impacts négatifs et positifs, bien que les bénéfices aient souvent été oubliés. Le sous-entendu général de l'étude est que la culture nationale, le niveau de développement économique d'un pays, la disponibilité des ressources financières, et la capacité et les connaissances des fonctionnaires du gouvernement et des directeurs des entreprises privées ont tous un impact direct sur la façon de réagir à et gérer un tel événement. Mots-clés: économique, crise, gouvernement, hôtels, Turquie. Ó

PurposeMost of the European Mediterranean countries are suffering from seasonality and the problems caused by it. By applying different methods, this study proposes to measure seasonality in a Mediterranean country, Turkey. Studying seasonality and its measurement with the comparison of different methods could first provide useful guidelines for the countries, which may have similar problems, and could also broaden the current view in the related literature since the focus is also on the comparison of the widely used methods in the literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study depends on the current literature and makes evaluations based on the secondary data acquired from the statistical publications of The Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.FindingsThe findings reveal that none of the methods is superior to any other. They complement the weaknesses of one another. Therefore, it is suggested that destinations, when measuring their seasonality, should evaluate seasonality by applying different methods in order to give a proper decision to solve the problem caused by seasonality.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the seasonality literature by employing different measurement methods in a holistic way. It reveals differences and similarities among the different methods, using the case of a Mediterranean country, Turkey.

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Multinational hotel companies, often integrated with tour operators, travel agencies and other businesses in touristgenerating or tourist-receiving countries, play a key role in the development and continuity of an international tourism industry in developing countries. In order to take advantage of bene®ts and minimise the unwanted adverse effects from multinational hotel involvement, developing countries need the planning, implementation and evaluation of carefully designed policies linked to their particular objectives. This paper reviews the potential bene®ts and costs of multinational hotel companies and brings together previously scattered critical policy issues in relation to them, while suggesting possible options for developing countries to follow. Seven critical policy areas are identi®ed: establishment of the need for foreign investment; deciding on forms of involvement; deciding on the scale of hotel development; supporting sectoral linkages; supporting indigenous employment/ training; monitoring business practices; and determining foreign investment incentives and regulations. It is argued that policies should be worked out in these areas and coordinated in order to achieve a balance between the bene®ts and costs of multinational hotel involvement in developing countries.

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