The effect of sea-sand-sun tourism perception on local community's support for camping tourism: The case of Antalya-Manavgat

Sea-sand-sun tourism, also known as 3S tourism, has been popular for many years. Especially destinations such as Antalya-Manavgat stand out in this type of tourism activity with the natural attractions they offer. These activities make significant contributions to the region both economically and socially. However, in recent years, changing tourist expectations have brought to the agenda the possibility of combining the sea-sand-sun- oriented tourism approach with alternative tourism types. One of the increasingly attractive alternative tourism forms is camping tourism, which has become an option for tourists seeking experiences in nature. On the other hand, residents are one of the important stakeholders of tourism. In order to increase and sustain tourism performance, the support of the people of the region should be provided. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the impact of residents' perception of sea-sand-sun tourism on support for camping tourism. The research data were collected through a questionnaire distributed online and face- to-face in June-July-August 2024. Using the convenience sampling method, a total of 403 valid questionnaires were collected from the residents in Manavgat. The SPSS software package was employed to describe the data and test the relationship and effect between variables. Descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation and regression analysis were used in the data analysis process. The results of the study revealed that the support for camping tourism of the residents significantly varied based on sea-sand-sun tourism experience, camping tourism experience, age and educational status. In addition, it was found that the effect of sea-sand-sun tourism perception on camping tourism support was significant and positive. Moreover, it was determined that the social and economic impact of camping tourism has a similar effect on camping tourism support. On the contrary, environmental impact had a negative and significant effect on camping tourism support. These results reveal that camping tourism is a type of tourism in 3S tourism destinations. At the end of the research, implications and recommendations were provided for decision makers, businesses and researchers based on the findings. Keywords: Sea-sand-sun tourism, 3S, camp tourism, resident support, Manavgat