Abstract
Ecotourism Perception and Opinions of Local Stakeholders: The Case of Ordu
The goal of the study is to specify target markets and how they can increase their shares in these markets, the ecotourism possibilities, opportunities they have in ecotourism and the current status of Ordu province within the scope of ecotourism. In the study, the qualitative research method and descriptive research method which are used pretty common in social sciences for finding in-depth answers to research questions were used. The study data were collected by semi-structured interview technique in December 2021. The collected data were analyzed by content analysis technique. As a result of the study, it has been determined that Ordu is a destination that brings natural areas to the fore, and tourism activities that include various activities and cultural and historical elements. It has been detected that the strengths of Ordu in ecotourism are its cultivation, the city's opportunities, geographical conditions, ecotourism potential and destination image, culinary culture and economic benefits; the weak points are infrastructure and superstructure problems, sectoral problems, destruction of natural areas, marketing and image problems, geographical problems and cooperation with the public. It was detected that the opportunities of the province of Ordu in ecotourism are the orientation of the investor organizations and the possibilities in the province of Ordu; threats are political and sectoral problems. In order to increase the market share of Ordu within the scope of ecotourism, marketing and promotion activities were determined as eliminating infrastructure and superstructure problems, increasing service quality, cooperation of stakeholders and realization of strategic planning.
Keywords
Ecotourism, Local Stakeholders, Ordu.