A research on the causes of photography of landmarks in touristic destinations the case of Kastamonu

The iconic spaces play an important role in the promotion of a city. Nowadays, the promotion of many cities that have become a tourist destination has been made possible thanks to landmarks. With the development of social media, touristic destinations have made this a marketing tool and increased the recognition all over the world. Kastamonu is a very rich city in terms of tourism potential. There are many concrete and intangible cultural heritage sites in the city. The question of why these landmarks are photographed as well as the landmarks in Kastamonu will be an important question for Kastamonu to have a say in tourism destinations. In this research, the reasons for photographing the symbolic spaces in Kastamonu have been investigated and it has been provided to identify these symbolic spaces. In the research, focus group interview has been preferred. The focus group meeting is included representatives of various public institutions and organizations, private sector and non-governmental organizations and volunteers who wanted to introduce Kastamonu. The data obtained at the end of the interview have been analyzed with descriptive analysis technique. As a result of the research, it has been revealed what the symbolic spaces are in Kastamonu and information about why these symbolic spaces are photographed. In line with this information, solutions for how to introduce Kastamonu's landmarks have been developed.