The presence of women in ecotourism activities: A case study of Kackar Mountains National Park (Rize)

According to definition of TIES (International Ecotourism Society), ecotourism is ''protects environment, sustains well-being of the local people, responsible travel to natural areas'' that developed within the conservation movement in the 1980s. After saying that Ecotourism is a kind of nature tourism, especially developed with the participation of the people who are closely interacted with that environment and live in it. In the purpose of this movement, it aims to create a supply that prioritizes local values, and that protects local cultural practices of life while experiencing it. However, although there is vast array of studies on cultural aspects of ecotourism in the literature. The number of studies on women, which are particularly important for the sustainability of the cultures, lags behind the mainstream issues in the literature. The aim of this research is to fill this gap in the literature and to reveal the role of women in the relevant factors that affect ecotourism with a case study. In accordance with this purpose, the women's daily lives in the ecotourism regions has been analysed in the context of spatial practices and relations. On the basis of the framework, the major questions will be answered as follows: What are the roles and duties of women in the ecotourism movement? How has gender roles shaped in the everyday practices of women in Black Sea region? Do the Black Sea women themselves have to make choices about their male-female roles, or are these choices imposed on women? Does ecotourism contribute to women's economic independence? The research has employed the qualitative research model. The Case study is the high lands in the Kaçkar Mountains National Park of Turkey's Eastern Black Sea Region, which has a high potential for ecotourism, where the rich data was gathered by taking advantage of the observations and in-depth face to face interviews with the women in areas. The result of this research is important as it mediates a theoretical debate on how women influence ecotourism potential and how much it impacts from ecotourism. In connection with this, the results of the research are that the role of women in social life will open to the discussion on ecotourism and also will increase awareness of women' contribution to ecotourism. Key Words: Ecotourism, Gender, Kaçkar Mountains National Park