The Opinions of the Local People on the Issue of Developing the Rural Tourism in Kozbeyli (Foça/İzmir)

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While the town of Foça is a coastal tourism destination of İzmir, the Foça Peninsula on which the town is located has also such rural richness. The aim of this study is to reveal the rural tourism potential of the village of Kozbeyli in Foça and to learn the opinions of the village people about this type of tourism. For this purpose, a BAP project was carried out by us. In the project, multiple research methods have been implemented. In this context, observation, field research, SWOT analysis, quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques have been benefitted. Hence, surveys and oral interviews have been conducted. Thus, the level of consciousness and thoughts of the local people about tourism have been acquired. Only oral interviews (six people) are included in this article. The interviews have been assessed through both Nvivo 11 Pro Qualitative Data Analysis. According to the results, the interviewees stated that the two most important sectors for the future of the village are agriculture and tourism. So that Kozbeyli could benefit from the rural tourism at the highest level; they stipulated the tourism education, turning homes into pensions, creating new tourism activities, increasing the number of gift shops and selling various local products. Based on these results, a non-governmental organization should be established for the development of rural tourism in Kozbeyli, village settlement texture and stone houses should be preserved, education should be provided to the local people, a strategic plan and an action plan (road map) should be made based on the principle of participation. When all these suggestions are followed, rural tourism in Kozbeyli will be sustainable and will serve as a successful model for other settlements.

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Rural tourism , potential , interview , Qualitative Data Analysis , Kozbeyli

Aegean Geographical Journal

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Aegean Geographical Journal