Cakar, Kadir, Cai, Wenjie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1505-7240, Chaperon, Samantha ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8514-7447, Ağbay, Nurullah Cihan and Uzut, Ismail (2026) From “Yellow Taxi Lobby” to infrastructural power: tourism stakeholder salience and Uber’s contentious compliance in Türkiye. Tourism Planning and Development. ISSN 2156-8316 (Print), From “Yellow Taxi Lobby” to Infrastructural Power (Online) (doi:10.1080/21568316.2026.2702419)

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Abstract

In many destinations, sharing economy platforms have transformed travel services and tourist experiences. This study analyses stakeholder perceptions of power and decision-making during Uber's contested market entry in Istanbul and Antalya. In Türkiye, the taxi lobby wields considerable influence through longstanding political connections and electoral leverage. Using an elite sampling strategy, 24 interviews were conducted with representatives from local government, tourism associations, trade unions, and hotel management. A thematic analysis was informed by stakeholder salience theory and the notion of ‘infrastructural power’. Findings indicate that tourism stakeholders viewed the taxi lobby as omnipotent, with the greatest power, legitimacy, and urgency. Stakeholders lacked a united voice and the power to challenge government decision-making. Uber's strategy of ‘contentious compliance’ and resultant ‘infrastructural power’ was imperceptible, enabling them to manipulate stakeholders and governance structures. Theoretically, the study highlights how infrastructural power reorders stakeholder prioritisation, and practically, we propose infrastructural audits to monitor technological dependency.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	sharing economy, digital platform economy, tourism governance, tourism regulation, stakeholder theory, infrastructural power
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > School of Management and Marketing Greenwich Business School > Tourism and Marketing Research Centre (TMRC)
Last Modified:	16 Jul 2026 14:07
URI:	https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/53961

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