Examination of middle EAST countries within the scope of ecotourism

Tourism, which is a big sector all over the world and in Turkey, is increasing its importance each passing day. While this sector was developing, it also caused socio-economic and environmental damage, and this destruction led people to alternative species. The most known model of tourism is sea-sand-sun. The most important type to replace this model is ecotourism. Ecotourism is practiced with minimal harm to the environment and protecting the interests of local people. Ecotourism is a good resource for sustainability, which is a worldwide problem. The aim of this study is to examine the ecotourism possibilities of the Middle East countries(Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Qatar, Cyprus, Kuwait, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Yemen). The Middle East, where the study took place; It is the cradle of all civilizations with its history, culture, natural beauties and location. The method of the research is qualitative and has been prepared using secondary data. The countries within the scope of the thesis were examined one by one in the context of ecotourism. Keywords: Middle East, Ecotourism, Sustainability