Education

Ph.D., Recreations, Parks and Tourism Management, Concentration: Applied Economics, Clemson University
M.S., Recreations, Parks and Tourism Management, Concentration: Marketing, Clemson University
B.S., 9 Eylul Universitesi, School of Economics and Administrative Sciences (Business School), Aydin School of Tourism and Hotel Management, Izmir / TURKEY

Background

Professor Ercan [Sirakaya] Turk is a prominent tourism studies scholar with over 15K citations as of September 2024, placing him in the top four percent globally and ranked as USC's No. 1 marketing professor by AD scientific index. A Fulbright alumnus, he served as Associate Dean Emeritus for Research at USC's College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (2010-2018), and is currently the interim faculty research director/associate dean of research. Turk earned his Ph.D. from Clemson University and has held positions at Texas A&M University, Penn State and USC.

His articles are frequently published in A and A+ journals, and he authored one of the most impactful pieces in tourism. As a grant writer, he has overseen numerous projects totaling more than $1.3 million. He has also authored many high-impact publications in tourism destination marketing and sustainable development policies, appearing in top journals like the Journal of Business Research, Annals of Tourism Research, and Journal of Travel Research. Turk was the founding Editor-in-Chief of e-Review of Tourism Research, an online journal for practitioners enabled by a grant from the Tourism Canada and now is hosted at RPTS of Texas A&M University. From December 2015 to January 2022, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Tourism Analysis, a highly regarded journal in his field. Collaborating with a global network of distinguished scholars, he has published Research Methods in Leisure, Recreation, and Tourism (two editions). Turk is also the author of two of the most influential scientific articles in tourism and a respected book on research methods in leisure, recreation and tourism. He teaches courses in tourism and hospitality marketing, tourism economics, sustainable tourism planning, and research methods at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Locally, the findings from Turk’s economic impact study for the Riverbanks Zoo were instrumental in securing a $30 million renovation bond for the zoo, which spans two South Carolina counties.

Honors / Awards

• J. William Fulbright Scholarship
• Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) of the U.S. State Department for research
• Teaching at the Saint Petersburg State University of Finance and Economics, Russia

Research Interests

• Tourism Policy and Development through Sustainable Tourism
• Quantitative Analysis: International tourism demand and marketing research
• Destination Marketing and Management

Book Chapters

Dogru, T., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2018). Efficacy of static shift share analysis in measuring tourism industry’s performance in SC. In M. Uysal, Z. Schwartz & E. Sirakaya-Turk (Eds.), Management science in hospitality and tourism: Theory, practice and applications. Apple Academic Press.

Research Publications (Past Five Years)

Sirakaya-Turk, E., Oshriyeh, O., Iskender, A., Ramkissoon, H., & Mercado, H. U. (2024). The theory of sustainability values and travel behavior. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 36(5), 1597-1626. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-12-2022-1512

Iskender, A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., Cardenas, D., & Harrill, R. (2024). COVID or VOID: A systematic literature review of technology adoption and acceptance in hospitality and tourism since the breakout of COVID-19. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 24(1), 95-114. https://doi.org/10.1177/14673584221133667

Iskender, A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., & Cardenas, D. (2023). Restaurant menus and COVID-19: Implications for technology adoption in the post-pandemic era. Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality, 18(4), 587-605. https://doi.org/10.1108/CBTH-11-2022-0194

Iskender, A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., & Cardenas, D. (2023). Multi-item unidimensional measurement scale construct: Perceived hygiene development (pHd). Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 51(4), 1077-727X. https://doi.org/10.1111/fcsr.12476

Iskender, A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., Cardenas, D., & Hikmet, N. (2022). Restaurant patrons’ intentions toward QR code menus in the U.S. during COVID-19: Acceptance of technology adoption model (ATAM). Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 27(5), 497-522. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2022.2133518

Işık, C., Aydın, E., Dogru, T., Rehman, A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., & Karagöz, D. (2022). Innovation research in tourism and hospitality field: A bibliometric and visualization analysis. Sustainability, 14(13), 7889. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137889

Dogru, T., Suess, C., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2021). Why do some countries prosper more in tourism than others? Global competitiveness of tourism development. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 45(1), 215-256. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348020911706

Dogru, T., Hanks, L., Mody, M., Suess, C., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2020). The effects of Airbnb on hotel performance: Evidence from cities beyond the United States. Tourism Management, 79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104090

Dogru, T., Zhang, Y., Suess, C., Mody, M., Bulut, U., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2020). What caused the rise of Airbnb? An examination of key macroeconomic factors. Tourism Management, 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104134

Dogru, T., Bulut, U., Kocak, E., Isik, C., Suess, C., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2020). The nexus between tourism, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions: Contemporary evidence from OECD countries. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27, 40930–40948. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-10110-w

Suess, C., Woosnam, K., Mody, M., Dogru, T., & Sirakaya Turk, E. (2021). Understanding how residents’ emotional solidarity with Airbnb visitors influences perceptions of their impact on a community: The moderating role of prior experience staying at an Airbnb. Journal of Travel Research, 60(5), 1039-1060. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520921234

Dogru, T., Bulut, U., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2021). Modeling tourism demand: Theoretical and empirical considerations for future research. Tourism Economics, 27(4), 874-889. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816619894460

Işık, C., Sirakaya-Turk, E., & Ongan, S. (2020). Testing the efficacy of the economic policy uncertainty index on tourism demand in USMCA: Theory and evidence. Tourism Economics, 26(8), 1344-1357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354816619888346

Wang, C., Sirakaya-Turk, E., & Aydin, S. (2019). The impact of millennium floods on vacation decisions in a coastal tourism destination: The case of South Carolina, USA. Tourism Analysis, 24(2), 193-211. https://doi.org/10.3727/108354219X15525055915536

Dogru, T., Isik, C., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2019). The balance of trade and exchange rates: Theory and contemporary evidence from tourism. Tourism Management, 74, 12-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2019.01.014

Isik, C., Dogru, T., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2018). A nexus of linear and non‐linear relationships between tourism demand, renewable energy consumption, and economic growth: Theory and evidence. International Journal of Tourism Research, 20(1), 38-49. https://doi.org/10.1002/jtr.2151

Dogru, T., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2018). Cash holdings and corporate governance: Theory and contrary evidence from hotel firms. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(10), 3117-3134. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2017-0163

Atadil, H. A., Sirakaya-Turk, E., Meng, F., & Decrop, A. (2018). Exploring travelers’ decision-making styles. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 618-636. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-11-2016-0613

Dogru, T., & Sirakaya-Turk, E. (2018). Modeling Turkish outbound tourism demand using a dynamic panel data approach. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 18(4), 411-414. https://doi.org/10.1177/146735841666382