Abstract:

Like in many other parts of the world, tourism industry in Turkey develops rapidly and associated policies are being implemented to support its further development. National development plans envisage the development of the tourism sector and the diversification of tourism activities. Within this framework, development of rural tourism is also among the policy objectives in Turkey. Tourism supports the rural development and acts as an important instrument in minimizing the inter-regional development disparities as an important source of employment. From this point of view, this study takes the case of Kuyucak Village of Isparta and investigates its rural tourism potential and development through a SWOT analysis method. According to the analysis results, several strengths emerge that would potentially support the development of tourism, which includes widespread availability of lavender gardens as a touristic attraction in the region and their contribution to the growing glamorousness of the region, suitability of lavender gardens for sightseeing and photo-shootings, and growing awareness due to recent appearance of village’s lavender gardens in local and national media. Major weaknesses include possibility of having only a very short period of tourism season depending on the flowering of lavender, the lack of visual and natural elegance of tourism infrastructure, and unavailability of sufficient cafes and restaurants to host large tourist groups in the region.

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