Demand Forecasting Methods in Accommodation Establishments: A Research with Artificial Neural Networks

As it being seen in every sector, demand forecasting in tourism is been conducted with various qualitative and quantitative methods. In recent years, artificial neural network models, which have been developed as an alternative to these forecasting methods, give the nearest values in forecasting with the smallest failure percentage. This study aims to reveal that accomodation establishments can use the neural network models as an alternative while forecasting their demand. With this aim, neural network models have been tested by using the sold room values between the period of 2013-2016 of a five star hotel in Istanbul and it is found that the results acquired from the testing models are the nearest values comparing the realized figures. In the light of these results, tourism demand of the hotel for 2017 and 2018 has been forecasted