Evaluation of the current status of the blue cruise sector in the Fethiye region

In recent years, the blue cruise has become a key element of the increasingly diverse maritime tourism sector in Turkey and worldwide. With its unique advantage of Aegean and Mediterranean coastlines and favorable climate, Turkey offers visitors the opportunity to explore picturesque shores, islands, and historical sites aboard traditional gulets, while also generating economic, cultural, and environmental benefits through various activities. However, despite these advantages, the growth of the blue cruise industry is sometimes slowed by significant challenges. Fethiye, one of Turkey's most popular maritime tourism destinations, was chosen for this study to analyze the current state of the blue cruise industry in the region, identify opportunities and challenges, and propose solutions for addressing the issues identified. The study involved a literature review to understand previous research on the blue cruise sector and ensure research reliability. Additionally, a semi-structured qualitative study was conducted with 30 experienced industry actors in Fethiye. Survey results were analyzed using PESTEL to identify the political, economic, sociocultural, technological, environmental, and legal factors affecting the sector, followed by a SWOT analysis for summarization. The results show that the blue cruise sector in Fethiye benefits from rich natural resources, ongoing technological modernization, and positive impacts on the local economy. However, the industry faces structural issues such as high costs and heavy bureaucracy. Opportunities exist in changing tourist preferences and environmental sustainability, while economic instability and inflation represent significant threats to sector growth. This research was supported by Bandırma Onyedi Eylül University, project number BAP-24-1010-001 Keywords: Blue cruise, Maritime tourism, PESTEL analysis, SWOT analysis, Yacht tourism.