Cultural heritage in the creation of alternative tourism routes: Koramaz Valley

Elements of cultural heritage are assets that need to be preserved as they embody the traces of many societies. Due to the universal values they carry, they have the feature of creating an abstract bond between cultures. Recently, with the changing understanding of tourism, the number of trips and programs related to alternative cultural routes has been increasing. In the changing understanding of tourism, cultural tourism areas and routes have begun to be preferred over traditional tourism. Including cultural heritage elements in alternative tourism routes provides the opportunity to present not only individual heritage elements but also groups of structures as a whole. In this context, Koramaz Valley, which is on UNESCO's tentative list, carries a unique and universal quality with its natural and cultural heritage elements. With its multi-layered structure where the traces of many civilizations can be seen, its preservation is of universal importance. Koramaz Valley contributes to the perception of the region's heritage as a whole and creates a binding and strong effect among the rich cultural heritage elements located in the valley as an alternative tourism route. As part of the master's thesis, alternative tourism routes were created using geographical information systems (GIS) with the cultural heritage elements found in Koramaz Valley and its settlements. Cultural heritage elements in the region were listed according to specific criteria through field studies and literature research. In the conceptual framework of the thesis, the concepts of alternative tourism, cultural heritage, cultural route, geographic information systems, and the use of geographic information systems in tourism were addressed, and the impacts of alternative tourism routes on cultural heritage were evaluated.