Evaluation of Akçakoca tourism history within the scope of living witnesses opinions

Turkey is one of the world's leading tourist destinations with its historical and natural beauties, diverse cultural riches, sunny coastlines, historical sites and delicious cuisine. Turkey hosts millions of tourists from both domestic and abroad every year. Tourism in Turkey has a rich spectrum divided into various categories. It is also a popular choice for various alternative tourism types such as sun, sea and sand tourism, historical and cultural tourism, health tourism, thermal tourism and nature tourism. Turkish hospitality and friendliness is an important factor that increases the satisfaction of tourists. Turkey also offers unforgettable experiences to tourists with its colorful festivals, rich cultural events and delicious local food. Akçakoca is an important destination due to the fact that Turkey's first tourism activity was seen and it was close to big cities and transportation was better in the conditions at that time. Akçakoca is a district of Düzce Province in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. The district, which is famous for the natural beauties of the Black Sea, attracts tourists with its natural and historical riches. The district has an important potential for both sea tourism and nature tourism. Akçakoca has hosted various civilizations throughout history. For this reason, there are ancient city ruins and historical buildings around the district. Thanks to the plateaus and natural areas around it, it has a potential for highland tourism and nature tourism. Plateaus are an attractive option for nature activities such as nature walks, camping and picnics. Akçakoca, which is still the choice of campers from past to present, offers its guests many nice opportunities. In this study, Akçakoca destination, which stands out in terms of country and region tourism history, has been examined. Akçakoca's tourism history has been researched and evaluated. In this context, the touristic values of Akçakoca were examined. After the examinations, an oral interview was conducted with the people known as the "living history of Akçakoca", who worked in the field of tourism and management in the old periods of Akçakoca regarding the tourism history of Akçakoca. As a result of the interview, the developments and changes that Akçakoca has experienced in the tourism sector since the 1940s have been revealed by using the experiences of people who witnessed those periods and participated in tourism activities.