Abstract:

Tourism is a sector that has attracted intense interest in many countries from the past to the present Especially the values and potentials of the settlements or regions have put the tourism sector forward.  The concept of sustainable tourism has developed as these values and potentials have been preserved and transferred to future generations. In addition to the monumental and civil architectural structures, Mardin is also an important settlement with its original settlement texture.  Tourism sector in the city is gradually developing. It  is expected to provide more protection by the expected economic development and increasing historical environmental awareness with increased tourism. Providing the sustainability of the city will be possible by right evaluation of sustainable tourism as well as protection. In the study, problems related to tourism in the old city center of Mardin were tried to be revealed. Questionnaires were applied to randomly selected users live in Mardin. These surveys questioned the effects of tourism activities on the historical environment, whether the urban functions meet the needs of tourists, the traditional structure is protected or not and the adequacy of the work has done. As a result, the appropriateness of the historic Mardin city in terms of sustainable tourism was assessed and recommendations were developed. The perception of the people living in Mardin on tourism and conservation has been revealed. The results of the survey found that the historical city center had physical environmental problems and t the tourism infrastructure and conservation activities were insufficient.

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