Determination of ecotourism potential in national parks: Troy historical national park, Canakkale-Turkey

摘要

Aims: Troy Historical National Park (THNP) is of national/international importance especially thanks to its historical, archaeological, and natural potential. This research is generally intended to determine the ecological/economic/social capacity needed at the stage of sustaining ecotourism together with the natural and cultural potential required to develop ecotourism in the villages within the study area.Methodology: For this purpose, a method based on inventory studies was employed in the research and the data were quantified. First of all, the analysis and synthesis issues which were effective in determining the ecotourism potential in rural areas and which were available in the study by Golany (1976) (ecological, economic, and social data) were presented. Assessment forms on the data concerned were drawn up and the six villages in THNP were scored in terms of their ecotourism potential. At the stage of scoring, they were assessed on the basis of the method employed, also considering the comprehensive literature studies and fieldwork as well as the notes taken during the face-to-face interviews with six village headmen and the notables of the village (about ten people per village).Results: As a result of scoring, there was a village settlement (Tevfikiye) with "High" ecotourism potential in the THNP and its ecotourism score was 74, Of the villages, four (Ciplak, Halileli, Kumkale, and Yenikoy) were regarded as settlements with "Moderate" ecotourism potential. Although these settlements took values ranging from 49 to 73, the village settlement with the highest ecotourism potential among them was Kumkale with 72 points. On the other hand, the village settlements with "Low" ecotourism potential look values between 24 and 48; therefore, Kalafat with 44 points was determined as the village settlement with the lowest ecotourism potential. The nine fundamental study areas presented by Wheeler (2003) regarding sustainable ecotourism planning in rural settlements were scrutinized on the basis of the villages within the THNP and proposals were made for the realization and continuity of aresponsible ecotourism movement in the area.Interpretations: Even though the villages within the THNP have potential for constituting sources for ecotourism in natural and cultural terms, they need to be developed and supported economically and socially. Ecotourism is an essential source of tourism for the region: moreover, both the THNP and the villages located within its boundaries can become a region where ecotourism develops and also contributes to local economy upon the planning studies to be carried out in the following process.