Sustainable management of Erfelek Tatlica Waterfalls Nature Park: Visitor experiences and evaluation of tourism potential

Abstract Understanding and improving visitor experience is a priority for destination managers to ensure the long-term success and sustainability of tourism services. This study aims to analyse the experiences of tourists who visited Erfelek Tatlıca Waterfalls Nature Park between 2012 and 2024, based on comments made on www.tripadvisor.com , and to determine the region’s tourism potential and visitors’ perceptions. It aims to contribute to sustainable tourism management by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the nature park through visitor comments. The study population consists of tourists visiting Erfelek Tatlıca Waterfalls Nature Park, while the sample consists of all tourists (425 people) who visited Erfelek Tatlıca Waterfalls Nature Park between January 2012 and December 2024 and wrote comments about their visit on Tripadvisor. MAXQDA software was used to parse and analyse text-based data, and ArcGIS software was used to create maps. Visitor comments were divided into 6 main codes and 22 sub-codes in line with certain themes. As a result, it shows that Erfelek Tatlıca Waterfalls Nature Park is a destination that stands out with its natural beauties, but visitor experiences are not fully satisfactory due to some infrastructure and service deficiencies.