Burdur province alternative tourism potential and local people's perception of tourism

Tourism is a constantly changing sector. For this reason, people have entered into new trends and searches in the changing sector. Thus, individuals turned to alternative tourism types and alternative tourism types started to develop. Natural beauties, historical textures, new cultures and so on. It has the characteristic of being the new attraction of people. Local people and the perception of tourism of the local people are important factors for the rapid development and continuity of tourism and potentials subject to alternative tourism in a region. Recently, there has been an increasing number of studies that reveal the perceptions of local people about tourism in their region. Generally, the results show that the local people have an impact on the tourism of the region and the satisfaction of the tourists. In this study, the general characteristics of Burdur, its current tourism potential and alternative tourism resources have been examined. The survey method was chosen as the data collection method in the study. A survey was conducted on 450 people in total using the convenience sampling method. Tourism perception of Burdur people has been measured. Findings are grouped under two headings as basic statistical findings and findings revealing attitude differences. It has been observed that the people of Burdur have a positive attitude towards tourism. It is believed that together with tourism, economy and culture will develop, people will be more integrated with each other, cultural and historical values will be protected. Key Words: Perception, alternative tourism, rural people, Burdur