The place and importance of recreational activities in destination marketing: case of Jackson Hole

Advances in modern technology, increased vacation time, early retirement opportunities and flexible work programs; directs people to recreational activities. Entertainment activities have many positive effects both individually and socially. It is known that today's people need recreational and recreational activities due to the decline in the quality of life. The primary requirement for these recreational and recreational activities is the leisure factor. The purpose of the tourism industry in the recreational aspect is to plan this leisure time and offer it to people. At this point, it is very important to evaluate recreational activities and to use the masses as an attractive factor to the relevant destination. Jackson is a city of Wyoming State of the USA and the tourism potential of the city is based on skiing and winter sports tourism in the winter season and recreational activities in the summer season. It has been observed that a significant number of tourists visiting the city attach importance to recreational activities and for this reason, Jackson was included in the scope of the study. The aim of the study is to examine the recreational activities in Jackson city and to reveal the place and importance of these activities on destination marketing and destination image. In this regard, the survey data of 212 participants who visited Jackson city in the summer season of 2019 were evaluated. The main purpose of the study is to examine the profiles of people participating in the activities and to reveal the importance of recreation in a well managed destination. Key Words: Destination Marketing, Recreation, Recreational Activities, National Parks, Jackson, Jackson Hole