A research on the applicability of thalassotherapy within the scope of health tourism in Akçakoca

The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature about thalassotherapy treatment methods and thalassotherapy centers as one of the thermal tourism applications within the scope of health tourism. In this context, the aim of the study is to evaluate the opinions of the participants in the research to determine the potential of the region for the establishment of a thalassotherapy center in Akçakoca district of Düzce province. In this context, qualitative research method was used in the study and the data were obtained by semi-structured interview technique. The interview form, which was prepared within the scope of qualitative research, was created with 10 interview questions. 10 interview questions were asked in the interviews held with the interview technique with a total of 21 participants, including 5 local government units, 11 local people and 5 academicians, which constitute the sample of the research. As a result of the interview, the qualitative data obtained from the participants were subjected to descriptive analysis, and the analyzes of the written participant opinions were carried out. According to the result obtained from the data obtained as a result of this research, the opinions of the participants were generally in the direction of establishing a thalassotherapy center within the framework of the title of "A Study on the Applicability of Thalassotherapy within the scope of Health Tourism in Akçakoca". It was stated by the participants that Akçakoca has sufficient potential for the establishment of such a center due to its strategic location, the suitability of the coastline to the sea, and its unique beauty and richness, but the necessary knowledge in terms of sustainability and the necessary feasibility studies in terms of feasibility should be done. A group of participants, who thought that it did not have the appropriate potential due to certain features, presented their ideas for the fact that the thalassotherapy center could not be established. Within the framework of these ideas, various suggestions were made, such as examining this research using the quantitative research method in order to raise awareness and raising awareness of the thalassotherapy practices and methods within the scope of health tourism, and then to make a comparison between these two studies and to reveal new research topics.