A research on Botan Valley's tourism potential and Siirt's brand city problem

Botan Valley, which gained national park status with the Presidential Decree No. 1421 announced in the Official Gazette No. 30859 published on August 15, 2019, is an area that attracts attention not only with its unique natural landscape, but also with its historical, cultural and geographical values. Located on the borders of Tillo and Eruh districts of Siirt province center, the valley covers a large area of approximately 120 thousand acres and extends over a length of 29 kilometers. The canyon formation shaped along Botan Stream, which forms the center of the valley, contains thousands of years of remains of Mesopotamian civilization. Mounds from various periods, archaeological settlements, trade routes, religious buildings (churches and monasteries), caves and valleys form a very special morphodynamic structure in terms of geomorphology. The large pond created by the Ilısu Dam has enabled water sports such as rafting, canoeing, sailing, kayaking, rowing and yachting in the region; it has also created new opportunities for many nature-based tourism activities such as paragliding and trekking. When the subject is considered from this framework, it is seen that Siirt has very suitable characteristics for the definition of a brand city. At this point, it is necessary to make a short definition of "Brand City"; a Brand City is a settlement that has special values such as culture, historical assets, tourism and other settlements by creating a special attraction area. Having geographically marked products is very important for a province to become a Brand City. A geographical indication is a quality mark that indicates and guarantees for consumers the origin of the product, its characteristic features and the connection between the said characteristic features of the product and the geographical area. Siirt Pistachio, Siirt Mohair Blanket, Siirt Gebole Dessert, Pervari Honey, Perde Pilaf, Büryan Kebab are special and important products unique to Siirt that deserve geographical indication. In addition to this special shipliness, the strategic, historical and natural structure of the Botan Valley provides Siirt with serious advantages in terms of becoming a brand city. However, these advantages are not limited to This study adopts a holistic and result-oriented approach to addressing the aforementioned challenges. A review of the existing literature has revealed that academic research on the region is extremely limited and that the prevailing analyses tend to be fragmented and superficial. In this context, the central argument of the thesis is that the sustainable tourism potential of Botan Valley can only be realized through a multi-dimensional, strategic planning approach that takes into account local dynamics. A qualitative research design was employed, incorporating field observations, interviews, and literature-based data to develop both theoretical insights and practical recommendations. The identified problem areas also constitute the boundaries of the study, and the active involvement of local stakeholders, public administration, and academic institutions is considered essential for the implementation of proposed solutions.