An Evaluation of Turkey’s Nature-Based Tourism Agenda: Policy, Planning, and Management

Abstract

This chapter critically reflects on Turkey’s nature-based policy planning and management approach through the analysis of empirical cases, official statistics, policy, and planning documents. Turkey’s tourism journey began in the early 1980s with the introduction of liberal policy. Nature-based tourism (NBT) was later supported by the provision of protection plans and laws, and the introduction of a number of classifications (e.g., National Park, Nature Conservation Area, Nature Park, Wildlife Development Area, Natural Monument, Wet Land of National Importance). Yet natural resources and environmental quality may be sacrificed in the cause of socio-economic development for tourism and its marketing strategies. In the meantime, some central planning approaches were not met by the locals’ expectations that cause the ‘rise’ of opposition in the Black Sea region, a unique Turkey NBT destination. The “high-lands” (or yayla in Turkish) in the region were mainly sacrificed to the central government’s mass tourism policy, while the country’s ‘western’ regions (West Mediterranean, Aegean and West Black Sea districts) tend to experience nature-based tourism more sustainably. Therefore, this chapter will provide a critical account of how Turkey incorporated NBT development into the overall tourism development agenda and how they tailor policies to design experiences to meet continuously evolving tourism demand. Particular attention will be given to the destination management offices’ roles, responsibilities, and practice in this process. © 2023 Taylor and Francis.