The determination of nature walk routes regarding nature tourism in north-western Turkey, Sarkoy District

Basic purposes of ecotourism are to preserve and utilize natural and cultural resources in a sustainable way and to enable economic development of local people. However, achieving the aims in ecotourism depends on whether they are environmentally and ecologically sustainable and economically applicable. In order to achieve these, a participative tourism planning is required. Within this scope, in the field which has a significant potential with its natural and cultural landscape values, it was aimed to determine alternative thematic trekking routes which can sustain economic development by assessing the best places for sustainable ecotourism development. In parallel to this aim, after determining natural and cultural values of the region, they were transferred into digital environment in Geographic Information System and convenience maps were formed through questionings based on assessment criteria established by experts and convenience coefficients. At the end of the study, it was figured out that the 54.35% of the area is the most convenient for ecotourism activities. Depending on convenience map, several recommendations were developed regarding sustainable development after determining six thematic trekking routes.