Fishing tourism in Rize within the scope of alternative tourism

Rize is a city located in the Black Sea Region of Turkey and is known for its natural beauties. Natural areas such as Lake Salda have a significant tourism potential at regional and international level (Temurçin et al., 2019). Activities such as marine tourism, aquaculture and fisheries point to important potentials for the Turkish economy (Suluk, 2022). In this context, it is necessary to evaluate the potential of fishing tourism in Rize. In order to increase the potential of fishing tourism in Rize, the expectations of local people and tourists should also be taken into consideration. For example, when the potential of youth tourism is examined, the interest and expectations of young people in tourism activities should be evaluated (Değişgel & Bingöl, 2018). Similarly, the synergy between culture and tourism can create growth potential in the tourism sector (Göral & Tuna, 2018). In addition to Rize's natural beauties, its gastronomy tourism potential should also be evaluated. Local dishes and products in the region are of great importance for gastronomy tourism (Çatir & Ay, 2018). In addition, the ecotourism potential of the region should not be ignored (Erken et al., 2019). As a result, evaluating the potential of fishing tourism in Rize can contribute to the economic development of the region by increasing the tourism diversity of the region. In this direction, factors such as the expectations of local people, tourist profile, gastronomy and integration with other tourism types should be examined in detail.