In process of creati̇ng a successful desti̇nati̇on; The case study from Kastamonu

The purpose of this study is to determine the minuses and pluses of Kastamonu in the process of forming a sustainable destination and reveal the current situation. Owing to the interviews, it was aimed to determine the destination to be created in the city center of Kastamonu as well as the opinions and suggestions of the shareholders on the structure of the destination management organization concerning this destination. While the population of the study consisted of the city center of Kastamonu, the sample of the study consisted of the shareholders interested directly or indirectly in tourism within the city center. The study was conducted by using a semi-structured interview form. Additionally, the study was supported with document analysis, as well. Central administration, local administration, non-governmental organizations included in the study and sixteen shareholders in total under the categories of private sector and others were interviewed. The general opinion in the results of the study was that Kastamonu, despite having sufficient tourism potential, has not constituted a destination due to lack of infrastructure, publicity, and advertisements. As it may be understood from the responses given by the shareholders, it may be asserted that lack of a destination in Kastamonu has been caused by lack of communication between the partners. Concerning the leadership and providing financial resources for the destination management organization to be established in order to gather all these shareholders and provide the sustainability of this destination formed the shareholders stated that the duty should be executed by the central administration. Since the population of the study involves the city center of Kastamonu, only the shareholders in the city center were interviewed. That's why this study does not cover the whole city. In order to conduct a study that would cover the whole province, it would be proper to include primarily the municipalities and district governorships in other districts, and also all the shareholders related to tourism in the study.