The perceptions of cittaslow local people's regarding impacts of tourism: A comparative study on Ahlat, Arapgir, Kemaliye and Uzundere

The environmentally sensitive approach of slow tourism and its focus on benefiting the local community are important movement for the sustainability of tourism. The popularity of the "slow city" movement, which continues to grow, has been steadily increasing, with more cities joining as members. Many destinations that were already familiar with tourism have earned the title of "slow city." However, it is also known that there are cities experiencing tourism for the first time that have acquired this title. Therefore, it is a subject of curiosity how the perceptions of the impacts of tourism are in destinations with this label. In this regard, the research measures the perceptions of the local population regarding the effects of tourism in Ahlat, Arapgir, Kemaliye, and Uzundere, which are located in the Eastern Anatolia Region and have the "slow city" title. The research also compares the perceptions of tourism's effects in these four slow cities. To obtain primary data, convenience sampling method was preferred and the survey technique was used. A total of 411 surveys were collected from the local population during the research process. In the analysis of the obtained data, methods such as confirmatory factor analysis, t-test, and one-way analysis of variance were utilized. As a result of the analyses, significant differences were identified in the perceptions of the local population regarding the impacts of tourism based on some socio-demographic characteristics. In the comparative analysis across destinations, it was determined that the perceptions regarding the impacts of tourism were generally positive in all four cities. The perception of the local people of Uzundere regarding the impacts of tourism is the highest compared to the local people of other destinations. The perceptions of Ahlat local people regarding the economic impact dimension are the lowest compared to other destinations. The perceptions of Uzundere local people regarding the socio-cultural impacts of tourism are higher than the local people of Arapgir and Kemaliye. The perceptions of Kemaliye local people regarding the environmental impact dimension of tourism are higher than the local people of Ahlat. Keywords: Slow City, Local People, Effects of Tourism, Eastern Anatolia Region