Turkish Tourism Industry at Metamorphosis: A Shift from Traditional Tourism toward Culture and Nature Tourism

Abstract

The present study analyzes the change of Turkish tourism industry from popular mode of mass tourism to a more assorted type of cultural and nature-based tourism. The research focuses on the historical development and expansion of tourism sector through 1980s, identifies the impetus for change in 1990s and examines the present status of niche tourism in Türkiye. Analysis of various statistics, current literature, policy documents, and case studies from different destinations reveals that while strong efforts have been made to diversify tourism sector in Türkiye, many challenges hinder such attempts including seasonality, infrastructure deficits, environmental pressures, and governance coordination gaps. The findings of the present study indicate that Türkiye has a good potential to expand tourism activities other than the traditional "sea, sand, and sun" (3S) model which can help reducing regional disparities and encourage sustainable development. However, maintaining a balance between environmental protection, social equity and economic development is a big challenge that requires careful planning and policy implementation. This study contributes to understanding the tourism evolution in different emerging destinations and policy formulation for sustainable tourism development.