A study on determining the rural tourism potential of Sultandağı district

The institutions and organizations that closely follow the changing touristic consumer behaviors in the world develop new competitive strategies and make new breakthroughs in the field of tourism. It is one of these breakthroughs in rural tourism. The tourism industry in Turkey is concentrated on mass tourism. However, considering the historical and cultural values, geography and natural beauties of Turkey, it is seen that tourism does not consist of the sea, sand and sun trio, and it is understood that tourism diversity models are applicable in the inner parts of the country. Rural areas that can host many touristic activities come to the fore in order to increase the economic level of rural areas and to develop the areas of tourism regions. Rural areas with dense agricultural lands and their unique natural beauties are very important in terms of tourism attractiveness. Rural Tourism will bring diversity to Afyonkarahisar province, which connects the Aegean and Central Anatolian Regions and has the feature of transition between regions, apart from thermal and congress tourism. In this study, Sultandağı district with its location and natural beauties, agriculture-based economy is discussed, and it aims to reveal the rural tourism potential of Sultandağı district. In addition, it is aimed to determine the general point of view of rural tourism in the region by determining the strengths and weaknesses, possible threats and opportunities of rural tourism in Sultandağı. From this point of view, in the research, literature review was carried out by using data collection methods such as observation, archive-document analysis, which aimed to obtain information about as many elements as possible. Interview technique was preferred among the qualitative research managements, and semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 30 participants on 20 May-2 June 2021. The data obtained from the interviews were deciphered and evaluated by descriptive analysis method. According to the findings, it is understood that the rural tourism potential of the Sultandağı district is available, and the thoughts of local governments, non-governmental organizations and local people about rural tourism have developed positively. The local people's willingness to take part in rural tourism activities shows the applicability of rural tourism in the region. From this point of view, suggestions are made to tourism decision makers in the study and it is expected to contribute to the literature.