Abstract:

Every country that wants to increase tourism revenues in the world is in an effort to differentiate the goods and services for tourists by going alternative tourism types. In this context, ecotourism is one of the alternative tourism types being offered to the tourism market as parallel to the changing tourist expectations. The increase in ecotourism activities carried out by responsible tourists who protect the environment and care about the prosperity of the local people living in the destination is also important in terms of sustainability of tourism. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the nature and protection area of Kasnak Oak in Isparta has been emphasized in terms of the importance of ecotourism for Isparta. Isparta is a city that has many national parks, natural protection areas and is able to come into prominence in terms of both its climate and natural beauties. The research was applied to the local people living near the Nature and Protection Area of Kasnak Oak in the province of Isparta and the employees of the Tourism Directorate of Eğirdir District. The sampling of the study was determined by purposeful sampling technique. A semi-structured interview technique was applied in the study. Descriptive content analysis technique and frequency analysis technique were used in the analysis part of the results. According to the findings obtained after the research, It is seen that Isparta has a rich vegetation cover and natural resources, and in this context, the Nature and Protection Area of Kasnak Oak provides a great contribution to ecotourism of Turkey. However, it has been found that local governments and non-governmental organizations in Isparta have not been able to play an effective role in marketing ecotourism possibilities.

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