Surf schools within the scope of tourism diversification: Çeşme - Alaçati example

Recreational activities are activities that individuals relax, have fun and learn by doing. These activities are thought to help individuals become psychologically and physically well. Therefore, the place and importance of recreational activities in our lives cannot be denied. This study aims to examine the recreational tourism population of Alaçatı town, to reveal its potential and to make suggestions for development through the eyes of surf schools in Çeşme Alaçatı region. The study group of the research was determined by using the homogeneous sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods. Top managers of surf schools in Alaçatı town participated in the study. Interview method will be used as a qualitative data collection tool in the research. In the first part, there were questions about personal information (age, gender, marital status, etc.) prepared by the researcher, and in the second part, semi-structured interview questions determined by the researcher. The data obtained as a result of the research were modeled with the NVIVO 10 package program by using descriptive and content analysis, and themes and sub-themes were created and presented. In the light of the findings obtained in the research, it was seen that the male and female managers participating in the research were between the ages of 36-68. A total of 5 questions were asked to the participants. However, in the findings obtained, short titles were created regarding the questions asked, and commercial recreation, education, popularity, pandemic, geographical location, accommodation, professional success, internationalization, sponsorship, freedom and lifestyle etc. themes emerged. As a result, it has emerged that Alaçatı region has an important position among surfing tourism regions in the world, and in this sense, it is necessary to carry out important studies in the field of marketing in order to maintain its popularity. It has been stated that there is a lack of qualified personnel in surfing tourism in Alaçatı. In order to overcome this deficiency, it is stated that the adaptation process to surfing tourism is more comfortable for individuals who have been trained in the Faculties of Sports Sciences and have received pre-training. Therefore, it has been observed that surf schools have sufficient qualified personnel and have an important place in reaching the desired service quality. Key words: Recreational Tourism, Tourism Population, Surf, Qualitative Research