Investigation of rural tourism potential of Gündoğmuş district by SWOT analysis method

Rural tourism activities have shown great development in recent years and have begun to be seen as a tool for economic and social development. People, who are in search of new things with the change of living conditions, have turned to rural tourism in order to integrate with nature and to experience rural life and culture on site. Rural tourism helps to improve the living conditions of rural people by providing employment and income. It is important in terms of spreading tourism and income from tourism to a whole year. Doğal ve tarihi değerlerin korunmasını sağlayarak, sürdürülebilir turizme ve ülkenin tanıtımına katkıda bulunur. This research aims to reveal the rural tourism potential of Gündoğmuş district and to develop a rural tourism strategy for Gündoğmuş for the future. The fact that the district is rich in rural tourism with its values has been influential in the selection of Gündoğmuş district as the subject of the thesis. SWOT analysis was conducted to determine the rural tourism potential of the district. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that the participants thought that the rural tourism potential of Gündoğmuş district was high. According to the results of the rural tourism SWOT analysis of Gündoğmuş district, it has been determined that the three strongest aspects are that Eğrigöl Plateau and Uçansu Waterfall are suitable for camping and caravan tourism, canoeing and rafting, the plateaus that do not lose their rural texture and the transhumance culture continue, and the organization of international bicycle races. The three weakest aspects are the lack of accommodation facilities in the district, insufficient means of transportation, and lack of promotion and marketing. The three biggest opportunities were determined as the decrease in migration from the village to the city, the increase in the income of the local people and the contribution to the rural economy, and the increase in the interest in rural tourism. The three biggest threats are the destruction of natural resources as a result of excessive and unconscious use of the resources in the region, the deterioration and corruption of the social and cultural structure of the region, and the economic weakness of the local people.