Linking scale of operation and labor transformation on tourism: Comparative analysis on three Turkish cases

Abstract

The scale of operation that dominates the tourism Industry in a particular destination determines patterns of labor transformation observed in that area. The operation of large-scale businesses differs from small- and medium-sized enterprises in a number of ways. This difference indicates that large-scale businesses generate a more radical and permanent labor transformation, whereas small- and medium-scale businesses generate more transitory, informal, and gradual patterns of labor transformation. The workplace as an object of analysis reveals the social, economic and cultural aspects of labor transformation in relation to the work process. The research looks at three coastal destinations in Turkey in order to bring forth different patterns of labor transformation. The data from these three areas will be analyzed in a comparative manner in order to bring forth the impact of different scales of operation on different patterns of labor transformation. In Fethiye, the overlap of the workplace with the household indicates a slower and somewhat distorted transition of tourism workers, especially since the main source of labor for tourism is family labor. In Belek, the tourism industry is completely detached from the household and operates along purely capitalist lines, with formal management strategies and professional labor relations. The labor force in Kemer is predominantly from outside the region and migration gives the workplace experiences a different aspect, accompanied by the resistance of locals to becoming wage workers in tourism. Copyright © 2006 Anatolia.