Evaluation of the awareness level of Evtad-i Erbaa, the four spiritual pillars of Anatolia, in terms of faith tourism

Developments in world tourism have caused the tourist profile to change; Due to this different and more demanding profile, it has been necessary to increase the diversity of touristic products. In this context, it is important to brand cities, reveal their potential, improve them, promote them and increase their attractiveness. These initiatives have made alternative tourism widespread all over the world. Among alternative tourism types, religious tourism is an important tool for countries to achieve permanent competitiveness in the tourism sector, contribute to local and regional economies, and make natural, historical and cultural heritage sustainable. Therefore, this study aimed to raise awareness about religious tourism and Evtad-ı Erbaa. In addition, the awareness of the people living in Konya, Nevşehir, Ankara and Kastamonu regarding Mevlana, Hacı Bektaş Veli, Hacı Bayram-ı Veli and Şeyh Şaban-ı Veli was examined with various variables. The study group of the research consists of 486 participants of different age groups and socio-economic status, aged 20 and over, living in the four provinces in question. Analysis of the quantitative data obtained in the research was carried out using SPSS 26 Windows Package Statistics Program. During the analysis of the data, in addition to descriptive statistics, Chi-Square analysis and since the data showed normal distribution, t-Test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) test were applied. Tukey HSD test, one of the Post Hoc tests, was performed in order to determine which differences between the means resulted from the difference found as a result of the variance analysis. Pearson correlation test was used to examine the relations between two variables. As a result of the research, it was seen that the awareness of Evtad-ı Erbaa, the rates of visiting the religious tourism centers in question and participation in the commemoration ceremonies of Evtad-ı Erbaa were not at the desired level, especially among young people. This situation shows that there is not enough awareness about these religious tourism centers. In addition, this result reveals that various studies should be carried out to increase the recognition and awareness of other faith tourism centers in Turkey and the world and to make these centers centers of attraction in terms of tourism.