Kırsal destinasyon bölgelerinde yerel halkın turizm farkındalığı: Divriği örneği

The tourism industry in Turkey has many social, cultural, political, and economic effects. These effects are shaped by the local people's tourism awareness and consciousness, especially in rural destination regions. The financial gain of the local people in the destination regions from the tourism sector, their understanding of the importance of the destination area they live in and the development of conservation awareness are closely related to the people having tourism awareness. This study aimed to determine the tourism awareness of the local people living in the Divriği district of Sivas. The interview approach, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. The study was conducted with people residing in the Divriği district of Sivas province. When the local people's statements regarding the definition of "tourism" and their perception of tourism were examined, findings covering the participants' thoughts on the meaning of the words "tourism" and "perception of tourism" were encountered. The findings regarding the tourism perception and awareness of the local people in Divriği were classified into different categories. With these categories, it was determined that the importance of tourism in Divriği for the local people, the views on tourist accommodation opportunities in Divriği, and the views and suggestions of the local people on products that can generate income through tourism were found. At the same time, findings included the participants' views on the local products of Divriği, important historical values, and the different characteristics of Divriği from other districts of Sivas. These categories included opinions and suggestions on the importance of tourism for the local people and the problems of tourist accommodation facilities, as well as ideas and suggestions on tourist products and services that will create economic value for the local people.