Abstract:

Hatay is an important tourist destination with both its geographical and socio-cultural structure. It has a fairly high potential for many types of tourism (leaves and rivers, museums and landscapes, food and drinking), but, despite having a long coastline and suitable climate conditions, the development of marine tourism has remained limited. It is believed that the first step that can be taken to ensure the development of tourism in a destination is to determine the perceptions and opinions of the local people. Therefore, in order to determine the perceptions and opinions of the local people about the economic, social and cultural and environmental effects of marine tourism throughout the Hatay region, data from the local people over the age of 18 who have been residing for a minimum of 5 years in all districts of Hatay have been collected with the survey technique. The study found that local people perceived the socio-cultural impacts of marine tourism positively, their economic impacts very positively, and they remain uncertain about the environmental impacts. Hatay is the conclusion that the local people are ready and open to marine tourism, and in the event of the elimination or minimization of environmental doubts, they are open to the development of marine tourism that is available in Hatay.

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