The effect of intangible cultural heritage values on Diyarbakır and Mardin tourism: Research on tour operators and guides

In the thesis study, it is aimed to determine how often the intangible cultural heritage values of Mardin and Diyarbakır cities in the Southeastern Anatolia Region are included in the tour program contents, to determine which values are included in the program content, to measure which intangible cultural heritage values of the cities are frequently used by the guides working in the tours organized to Mardin and Diyarbakır cities during the tour and to reveal the importance of these values in tourism. The scope of the study consists of tour agencies organizing trips to Mardin and Diyarbakır and individuals practicing the profession of guide in these cities. Qualitative method, one of the scientific research methods, was used in the study. 20 travel agencies' Mardin and Diyarbakır tour contents were analyzed. With the snowball sampling method, 6 guides were interviewed through a questionnaire. In line with the data obtained through content analysis and questionnaire; it was concluded that the intangible cultural heritage elements of Mardin city were included in the tour program contents more than Diyarbakır city, but the intangible cultural heritage elements included were not different from each other. In addition, it is concluded that intangible cultural heritage values are included in the tour program contents for commercial purposes, especially traditional handicrafts of the region are included in the tour program contents within the scope of free time activities and souvenirs. In line with the data obtained from the guides, it was concluded that local narratives and stories are generally utilized in Mardin and Diyarbakır, while local music and dance values are more common.