Abstract:

When studying alternative types of tourism, rural tourism is seen as the most developed type of tourism in recent years. According to the UNWTO data, rural tourism has become a major type of tourism in Europe, despite an annual growth of 2% in the tourism sector in general, with an increase of 6%. The most important reason for this can be said is the desire to get rid of the stressful metropolitan life and the increased need for today’s people for nature. This situation has begun to create intense tourism demand especially for rural areas near the metropolis. In our country, especially during the holidays, it is observed that the day goes more and more towards rural areas. The main mass of this research is the rural settlements of the Iznik and Orhangazi districts, which are very close to Istanbul destinations. The sample of the study is 229 people living in rural neighborhoods of these districts and easily selected by sample method. In this context, this study has been aimed at identifying the views of the local people living in the Iznik and Orhangazi region on the economic, social, cultural and environmental impacts of rural tourism. It also examined the explanatory impact of the rural tourism perspective on support for rural tourism activities. Research findings show that rural tourism’s social impacts are relatively negative perceived by the local people, and that the perceived dimensions vary according to the age, education, and rural tourism knowledge and whether or not. The view of rural tourism has a meaningful explanation on the support given to rural tourism.

Keywords: