The vacation farms as a product of ecotourism within the scope of tourism diversification: The swot analysis related to vacation farms in Turkey

Vacation farms as being a product of ecotourism, have turned out to be a sector in Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand. However, it is a recently introduced kind of tourism in Turkey. Likewise in Europe, the development of such vacation farms in Turkey, together with the diversification of tourism, has the purpose of the diversification of the products of these farms of which prior duty is farming. It is therefore a kind of alternative tourism as it preserves the nature and cultural environment especially in rural areas while it offers activities regarding environmental education and learning for both the visitors and local people and finally for the sustainability of economical and socio-cultural resources. In this regard, holiday farms carry a lot of weight in the diversification of tourism in Turkey and especially prospective sustainable development of rural areas.In this study, a qualitative research technique, interviews with the owners of vacation farms in Turkey, participant observation, document analysis together with the data derived from the websites of the farms and a SWOT analysis for the determination of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of holiday farms are available.The research is carried out in two holiday farms located in different parts of Turkey. It is found out that in these farms nature friendly agriculture is performed and that they are congruent to ecological and cultural environment while they offer financial and employment oppotunities and social interactions in this regard. Apart from these, detailed information on the products of these farms, pricing, distribution and promotion methods and their facilities is given.Key Words: Tourism, Tourism Diversification, Ecotourism, Vacation Farms, SWOT Analysis