Factors affecting tourist visits to archaeological sites in Turkey: A spatial regression analysis

The study focuses on the factors affecting visitor numbers to archaeological sites in Turkey. The aim is to investigate the geographical, economic, and demographic factors underlying the visits using statistical methods. The study covers 117 archaeological site visits in 2019. Although existing studies analysed determinants of visits to archaeological sites of different countries, the evidence needs to be explicit. Methodologically, the classical linear regression models are primarily applied in the literature, whereas the incorporation of spatial dependence has largely been ignored. This study contributes to the literature by employing demographic, economic, and climatic factors and spatial relations between the sites. Therefore, spatial autoregressive (SAR) and spatial error models (SEM) are developed in the analyses. According to the results, WHL inscription and distance to the city centre are crucial factors for the visits. In addition, the study emphasizes the significant negative effect of spatial dependence on visitor numbers of archaeological sites near each other.