Cultural Tourism and Spatial Transformation: User Behaviors in Traditional Houses of Side Ancient City

This study aims to examine the impact of tourism on traditional houses and user experiences in the Side Ancient City. The study is grounded in the role of the spatial aesthetic and historical character in shaping emotional experiences, employing Norberg-Schulz’s concept of “Genius Loci” and Merleau-Ponty’s theory of body–space relations as its theoretical framework. By using a qualitative research approach, the study comprised a total of three phases: planning process, fieldwork, and then analysis. During the fieldwork period, a traditional house was selected for the reason that it functions as a café; the behaviors of 10 tourists were observed by researchers, semi-structured interviews were also conducted, and emotion, behavior maps were then developed. The findings revealed that the “sense of the past” was the prominent experience, modern interventions elicited varied responses from visitors, and negative emotions—particularly among international tourists—were largely associated with a lack of interpretive information.