Structural Constraints and Governance Issues in Regional Tourism Development: A Stakeholder-Based Qualitative Analysis of Hopa (Artvin)

This study aims to examine the views of public institutions, private sector businesses and other relevant stakeholders operating in the tourism sector in the Hopa district of Artvin province, thereby revealing the destination's current tourism situation, its potential and the areas that need to be developed. Adopting a qualitative research approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 tourism stakeholders selected through maximum diversity sampling, and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data obtained. Findings indicate that Hopa has significant tourism potential in terms of its natural, cultural and geographical features, but that this potential is not being sufficiently exploited. It was determined that tourism activities in the district economy are predominantly centred on accommodation and border trade. Lack of promotion, inadequate planning, infrastructure problems and low tourism awareness stand out as key problem areas. Consequently, it is emphasised that cooperation among stakeholders in the Hopa destination must be strengthened, a sustainable planning approach must be adopted, and alternative types of tourism must be developed. Previous studies addressing tourism development in the Eastern Black Sea and Hopa regions have generally focused on economic impacts or overall tourist satisfaction. This study, differs from existing literature by examining the development dynamics of the destination directly from the perspective of local stakeholders through an in-depth qualitative approach. The research therefore aims to reveal the inter-actor dynamics in Hopa's destination management processes, filling a significant gap in the literature.