Abstract:

The sustainability of tourism in tourist destinations has become an important issue in recent years. At this point, the basic concept discussed is what the carrying capacity of the destination should be in every sense. Carrying capacity is a rational component of tourism space development planning and one of the important arguments for establishing sustainable tourism standards. In general, tourism carrying capacity is examined under the topics of economic, psychological, environmental, and social carrying capacities. One of these topics, social carrying capacity can be described as "the level of tolerance of local people of the destination region for the behavior and peace of tourists, and the level of tourist crowding that is readily acceptable for other tourists." In this study, an empirical research on the perceptions of domestic tourists visiting Ayvalık regarding the social carrying capacity and their intention to visit again is provided. The findings obtained through the evaluation of the results are as follows: According to the results of the 7-factor analysis that we determined regarding the visitors returning to Alicante again and recommending the destination to others, the 1st Factor (Accessibility), the 2nd Factor (Destination Identity), the 5th Factor (Hygiene, Service Quality and Prices), the 6th Factor (Natural Attractions of the Destination), and the 7th Factor (Socio-Cultural Attractions of the Destination) were found to have influenced visitor preferences. It was determined that the 3rd Factor (Destination Activities) and the 4th Factor (Accommodation Services) were found to have not influenced visitor preferences.

Abstract:

The sustainability of tourism in tourist destinations has become an important issue in recent years. At this point, the basic concept discussed is what the carrying capacity of the destination should be in every sense. Carrying capacity is a rational component of tourism space development planning and one of the important arguments for establishing sustainable tourism standards. In general, tourism carrying capacity is examined under the topics of economic, psychological, environmental, and social carrying capacities. One of these topics, social carrying capacity can be described as "the level of tolerance of local people of the destination region for the behavior and peace of tourists, and the level of tourist crowding that is readily acceptable for other tourists". In this study, an empirical research on the perceptions of domestic tourists visiting Ayvalık regarding the social carrying capacity and their intention to visit again is provided. The findings obtained through the evaluation of the results are as follows: According to the results of the 7-factor analysis that we determined regarding the visitors returning to Ayvalık again and recommending the destination to others, the 1st Factor (Accessibility), the 2nd Factor (Destination Identity), the 5th Factor (Hygiene, Service Quality and Prices), the 6th Factor (Natural Attractions of the Destination), and the 7th Factor (Socio-Cultural Attractions of the Destination) were found to have influenced visitor preferences. It was determined that the 3rd Factor (Destination Activities) and the 4th Factor (Accommodation Services) were found to have not influenced visitor preferences.

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