Abstract:

In today’s world, festivals (festivities) are organized in many different areas, from art to culture, from sport to gastronomy. The number of agricultural theme festivals held in rural areas in Turkey has also seen a rapid increase in recent years. Especially in countries where the production of olive and olive oil is intense, examples of olive harvest celebrations are attracted to attention. In general, the objectives of the festival include promoting local values, increasing production and marketing and supporting local development.  In Turkey, Milas is ranked first among the high districts with the olive and olive oil production potential. In this context, in order to attract attention to the production of quality olive and olive oil, olive harvest festivals have been organized in the last years in the Milas district. The festivals and rural tourism activities are being renewed and added value to the local economy is also created. In this study, the events in the framework of the olive harvest festival in the district of Milas have been evaluated in terms of potential contributions to rural tourism and have been presented suggestions on the subject.

Keywords: