Our Faculty of Tourism academic, Research Assistant Dr. Mehtap Özkan Buzlu’s study on children’s holiday dreams has won the Article of the Year Award

An article to which Res. Asst. Dr. Mehtap Özkan Buzlu of our Faculty of Tourism contributed as lead author has been honoured with the "Best Article of 2025" award by Tourism Recreation Research, one of the most prestigious scientific journals.

Tourism Recreation Research, a journal that has held a prestigious position in its field throughout its 50-year publication history, evaluated Res. Asst. Dr. Özkan Buzlu's article with high marks in the criteria of presentation style, originality, practical applicability, and breadth of subject matter, elevating it to first place.

"Children's Holiday Dreams Narrated Through Their Own Drawings"

The article entitled "Dream vacations of children: Exploring key motivations and preferred experiences by drawing", to which Prof. Dr. Zahed Ghaderi of Umman Sultan Qaboos Üniversitesi and Dr. Salar Kuhzady, Faculty Member of İran Kurdistan Üniversitesi, also contributed as co-authors, has secured an important place in the international scientific community. The study, which employs an original and child-friendly methodology to reveal children's family holiday motivations directly from their own perspective, has achieved high download and citation figures since the day of its publication. This intense interest has once again demonstrated the global scientific success of our University and our academics.

"The Voices of Children Were Being Neglected in Tourism Literature"

Res. Asst. Dr. Mehtap Özkan Buzlu, noting that original and high-quality scientific studies are the product of years of patient effort, expressed her feelings regarding the meaningful award as follows: "The publication of our study in such a highly prestigious journal as Tourism Recreation Research, its appreciation within the international scientific community, and its being deemed worthy of this valuable award are a great source of honour and happiness for me. Collecting data from children presents various methodological and ethical challenges. For this reason, in tourism literature, even on subjects that directly concern children, their voices are neglected, and the focal point rests upon the opinions of adults rather than the children's own perspectives."

"It Will Guide Industry Professionals"

Dr. Özkan Buzlu emphasised that, contrary to the general treatment of children as "passive objects" in tourism research, their study had entered the inner world of children by employing the drawing technique: "I believe that our study will serve as an important guide for professionals in the travel and hospitality industry targeting the family market, in terms of developing products and marketing strategies suited to children's needs and preferences. I extend my infinite thanks to the jury members who deemed us worthy of this award, to our valuable co-authors, and to the referees who enhanced the quality of our study with their evaluations."