Gözden kaçırmayın

Prof. Dr. Uğur Cengiz ERİŞMİŞ Eber Gölünün 3 Yılı Kaldı !Prof. Dr. Uğur Cengiz ERİŞMİŞ Eber Gölünün 3 Yılı Kaldı !

Anadolu Üniversitesi, Kırşehir Ahi Evran Üniversitesi, and Eskişehir Technical University have conducted the opening meeting of the project "Digital Nomads as a New Type of Tourists: Developing Strategies for Making Turkey an Attractive Destination," which is supported by TÜBİTAK 3005 Research Program for Innovative Solutions in Social Sciences.

The meeting, held at the Faculty of Tourism, was attended by representatives from various stakeholder institutions including Eskişehir Deputy Governor Oğuz Şenlik, Anadolu University Rector Prof. Dr. Fuat Erdal, Eskişehir Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan Özcan, Eskişehir Chamber of Industry Chairman Celalettin Kesikbaş, Chairman of Turkey Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Union (TOBB) Insurance Agents Executive Committee Levent Korkut, and Dean of the Faculty of Tourism Prof. Dr. Semra Günay.



"Young people will benefit from this collaboration"

In his opening speech at the project meeting, Anadolu University Rector Prof. Dr. Fuat Erdal stated that digital nomadism is a new concept and Turkey has potential for development in terms of tourism. Rector Erdal further expressed, "With the contributions of the participants, this project will provide a scientific infrastructure in a new area for our country's tourism. This is a multidimensional project and all of our stakeholders are present here. Our young people will also benefit from this valuable project. I hope that this collaboration will make significant contributions to the tourism of our country in a new area."



"TÜBİTAK approval gives our work brand value"

Speaking about the project, Dean of the Faculty of Tourism Prof. Dr. Semra Günay said, "As faculty members, we are aware of our three tasks. We must conduct research, educate students, and contribute to society. TÜBİTAK 3005 social sciences research program is a new type of project, but when we first saw it, it excited us. Being here right now will determine how our scientific knowledge will build a foundation for policy-making, beyond introducing the project. TÜBİTAK approval also gives brand value to our work. Your presence here today shows the value you place on scientific knowledge."



Following the opening speeches, Project Coordinator and Assistant Professor at Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Dr. Öznur Akgiş İlhan introduced the project team, which consists of Prof. Dr. Semra Günay, Teaching Assistant Fatma Yaşlı Şen, Research Assistant Önder Demir, and Specialist Deniz Ateş. Akgiş İlhan explained, "If I define the characteristics of digital nomads, they are typically associated with high-income and highly educated professional groups such as software developers, communication specialists, and engineers. It is estimated that there are 35 million digital nomads worldwide today. Various studies project that the number of digital nomads worldwide will reach approximately 1 billion by 2050. Compared to traditional tourists, digital nomads are a tourist group with high human capital. Our project will last for a total of 20 months, we will work on the analysis of the global situation, work with digital nomads in Turkey, and finally, complete our project with a strategy plan prepared after the workshop."



"All stakeholders should contribute to this project"

Eskişehir Deputy Governor Oğuz Şenlik shared his views on the project, saying, "Eskişehir is very important for tourism. With its location and various advantages, Eskişehir has the potential to be an attractive destination for this new type of tourist. The study on digital nomadism creates a vision for both our country and our city. Today, we have realized even more that we all need to focus on digital nomadism carefully. I thank our universities and the project team for their pioneering work. I am sure that all stakeholders will actively participate in this valuable work."



"Eskişehir has high potential as a city"

Chairman of Eskişehir Chamber of Industry Celalettin Kesikbaş mentioned during the project meeting that many people come to Eskişehir thanks to universities. Kesikbaş continued, "As Eskişehir Chamber of Industry, we need more than a thousand white-collar workers annually. In addition, a significant portion of our students either leave Eskişehir or unfortunately we don't have incoming nomads to Eskişehir. As a result, intellectual capital is decreasing. We have done various studies on how we can develop this and we have also established a unit for this purpose. Eskişehir has high potential as a city. We started to write a project on how we can create potential by thinking about the comfort zone of Eskişehir and how we can provide job opportunities to talented individuals."



"The biggest stakeholder in this project is the public"

Levent Korkut, Chairman of TOBB Insurance Agents Executive Committee, stated during the meeting, "When this project first arrived, we couldn't grasp its importance, but then, when we looked at the literature, we saw its importance in terms of tourism. I think the biggest stakeholder in this project is the public. The framing and ensuring comfort will be through public regulation. As an institution, we provided all the support we could, but we can say that we will be there for you in every aspect from now on."



During the meeting, stakeholders shared their ideas and suggestions regarding the implementation of the project. The meeting concluded with the signing of a final declaration, expressing the determination of all stakeholders to support the project, participate in the workshop to provide input, and benefit from its results.