INTERACTION BETWEEN RURALTOURISM AND DEVELOPMENT DETERMINATION OF TOURISM PERCEPTION OF BODRUM LOCAL PEOPLE

Abstract

The determination of the way that local people perceive tourism is of great importance in planning tourism activities and ensuring rural development. In the interaction between rural tourism and development, the point of view of the local people in terms of tourism, how they perceive tourism, whether they are ready for tourism development, the way of communication with tourists, expectations from tourism mobility are described as elements of tourism perception. By revealing how these elements are shaped, necessary precautions can be taken about tourism sustainability in the destination. In the study, it has been aimed to reveal the approaches of the local people about how tourism is perceived, the point of view of tourism development and what should be done to develop tourism in Bodrum, which is one of the destinations where tourism is most concentrated in our country and where different cultures coexist. Furthermore, in the study, important deductions were given to the management and destination managers in order to realize the planned tourism activities in Bodrum and to provide tourism based development. In the research area of the study which is of great importance, in this respect, face-to-face interviews were conducted using survey technique. The obtained data were analyzed in the SPSS program and the findings were reached. As a result of the analyzes made, it has been revealed that expectations of tourism development of the local people are high due to the fact that the economic transfer in Bodrum is mostly provided from tourism. Local people in Bodrum, tourism, increasing the quality of life; is seen as an important tool in maintaining sustainability by preserving the cultural, historical and cultural heritage. While Bodrum is rich in terms of tourism facilities, natural environment and historical features, most of the participants in the survey argue that these facilities are used as necessary in terms of tourism.