As a kind of bird-watching tourism in Turkey

Tourism activities, which started in certain areas such as sea tourism and cultural tourism in the classical sense, have diversified over time in line with people's special interests and needs, and many new tourism areas have emerged. One of these emerging areas is birdwatching tourism, which is based on observing wild bird species in their natural habitats. Birdwatching, which is realized by observing and recording birds in their natural habitats, is an environmentally sensitive type of tourism that is attended by an increasing number of people worldwide. With the advantage of Turkey's geographical location, being on the main migration routes of migratory birds and having different habitats with different environmental features provided by its wide geographical diversity, Turkey is at the forefront in terms of birdwatching potential in its region. Considering that tourism is a labor-intensive sector and its positive contribution to the development of underdeveloped regions, it can be said that it can have a significant impact on the development of economically weak, migratory regions where other attractions are not available. Ecotourism in general and birdwatching-based tourism activities in particular are important for economic development in such underdeveloped regions of the country and the effects they will provide to local people. This is a feature that increases the importance of tourism activities based on bird watching. The lack of a study that reveals the potential of Turkey as a country in terms of bird watching tourism is a deficiency in terms of both Turkey and the field of geography. With this study, it is aimed to determine the distribution of bird species in Turkey and important areas in terms of bird watching. By knowing which regions are visited by birdwatchers and for what purposes, it is aimed to create a basis for future tourism studies based on bird watching.