A research on the ecotourism potential of the national parks in aegean region

Difficult living conditions increase people's need for rest. Since sea, sand, sun tourism has a seasonal feature, people look for different types of tourism in order to meet their resting needs. National parks are the areas that have the best potential to meet this need. However, national parks are protected areas. Therefore, while meeting the need of rest, it is necessary not to damage the national parks. At this point, "ecotourism", whose basic philosophy is "to leave nothing but a footprint in nature", comes to mind. In order not to cause destruction in national parks, the most appropriate form of tourism is "ecotourism". In the study, the relationship between ecotourism and national parks in the Aegean Region was tried to be revealed. Current publications and studies on ecotourism and national parks, news, electronic resources and websites, laws and regulations related to these issues were examined. The national parks located in the Aegean Region were investigated. The recreational activities, the resource values and natural beauties in these national parks were studied and evaluated. Observation was made on the geographical features, historical and cultural development of the national park areas. On the other hand, the ecotourism potential of these national parks and the activities that can be done were scrutinized. The national parks were observed in situ. Regional Directorates of Nature Conservation and National Parks, Chiefdoms and interpretive centers of the national parks were visited and interviews were conducted with authorized persons. Most of the photographs used in this study were taken by the author. Although various recreational activities have been carried out in these national parks, it has been concluded that some of the parks remain below the potential. It is thought that some of those recreational activities may be harmful for the protection and sustainability of the parks. Keywords: Ecotourism, National Parks, The Aegean Region