Assessment of tourism potential district Akçakoca

Akçakoca is a district in the Western regions of the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is one of the main tourist destinations in terms of its natural abundance, its history, culture, recreational values and alternative tourism in the district. This study aims at enhancing the recommendations for the development of tourism in the town. This can be done by identifying strengths and weaknesses and the opportunities and threats for the tourism in the region. In this regard, Opportunity, Strengths, Weakness Threats (SWOT) analysis of Akcakoca tourism was conducted. In the study, a semi-structured interview method was utilized. Thus, governor and mayor of the district, head of the association to promote Akcakoca and managers of four-and five-star hotels in Akcakoca were interviewed in order to make SWOT analysis. Categorical analysis, which is one of the content analyses, was used to examine the data. The results of this study indicate that the most powerful aspect of tourism in Akcakoca is its rich history, geographic location, climate, natural resources and pristine surroundings. On the other hand, it can be said that the weakest aspects of tourism in the region are lack of awareness of tourism in the local community, inadequate promotion and marketing, and the lack of coordination and communication among institutions. In addition to this, alternative tourism opportunities in the district is considered as one greatest opportunity for image of Akcakoca. Whereas, weak image of the city is identified as the biggest threat. Keywords: Tourism, Akcakoca, Strategy, SWOT analysis