مرکز منطقه ای اطلاع رساني علوم و فناوري - Residents’ Attitudes Towards Rural Tourism

Abstract :

Rural tourism has been very popular for the new tourists who is more sensitive to the environment and prefer more active vacation. It is also very important for the host residents who live in small villages the economy of which heavily depends on agriculture because it provides alternative income for them. The host residents’ attitude is crucial for the sustainability of this type of tourism in rural areas and tourist satisfaction. In this context, this paper aims to investigate residents’ attitudes to rural tourism. The research was conducted in Çomakdağ-Kızılağaç village in Milas, Muğla. According to the results, residents have a positive attitude towards rural tourism. They stated that rural tourism was positive in terms of providing income and employment opportunities whereas negative in terms of changes in their socio-cultural structure and a lot of strangers. Contributions of tourism in rural areas were discussed in the study.