Reflections of postmodern consumption culture on cittaslow destinations in tourism: The case of Aegean Region

The purpose of this research is to determine the positive and negative effects of postmodernism and postmodern consumption on cittaslow destinations. It is seen that there is not enough research in the literature examining commodification and postmodern consumption culture in cittaslow. Existing research focuses on 'the potential of the region to become a cittaslow, tourists' revisit intentions and the economic contributions of cittaslow destinations'. The purpose of this research is to make evaluations with an original and critical point of view by considering slow cities and postmodern consumption together. In this context, the research is exploratory in nature. In the research; semi-structured interviews were conducted with 120 participants, including local people, local businesses and tourists from 4 different slow cities in the Aegean Region. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed by the content analysis technique. As a result of the research; different results were obtained for 4 different destinations. Seferihisar, Turkey's first cittaslow is welcomed by both the local people and the other participants in the region, due to the increase in the number of tourists visiting the region, the economic developments, the increase in the popularity and awareness of the region. Despite that, it is seen that there are situations such as increasing traffic congestion, crowding, noise pollution, environmental pollution and commercialization, especially in high season. It was determined that this situation was negatively received by the stakeholders. It has been determined that the calm city Akyaka has not been able to stay 'calm', especially in recent times, the physical carrying capacity of the region has been exceeded, and commodification, commercialization and over tourism have been observed. It has been determined that cittaslow Yenipazar, did not see much increase in employment and tourist demand after receiving the title of cittaslow, and it was found to be less attractive by visitors compared to other slow cities. Despite that it has been found that the region stands out among the cittaslow destinations that can maintain its 'calmness' quality over the years. In cittaslow Köyceğiz, it has been determined that the stakeholders are satisfied with the economic developments and popularization in the region, but they are uncomfortable due to some reasons such as the crowd, the potential for noise and environmental pollutions, and the increase in prices. In cittaslow destinations under the influence of postmodernism; issues such as employment, popularization, crowding, noise pollution, environmental pollution, preservation of the urban fabric, calmness, authenticity, sustainability, over tourism, commodification and commercialization are also discussed within the scope of this research. The research ended with suggestions for the tourism sector and future research. KEY WORDS: Postmodernism, Cittaslow, Aegean Region