Analysis of Sustainable Tourism Performances of Eastern Black Sea Region Provinces

Abstract

The research aims to determine the sustainable tourism indicators specific to the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey and to make inferences about the tourism performance of the region under the light of pre-determined indicators. To fulfill this purpose, qualitative and quantitative methods were employed together in the research. The secondary data used in the research were obtained from the time series published by the relevant public institutions between 2008/2012. As for the qualitative research, the data were collected by using a semi-structured interview technique. As a result of the research, it may be commented that the sustainable tourism performances of the provinces in the region remained at low levels according to the total values of the sustainable performance index and alleged that meaningful problem fields that may constrain sustainable tourism development in the region exist.

Longitudinal Analysis of Sustainable Tourism Potential of the Black Sea Riparian States Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey

“…Some authors conclude that the tourism sector has a harmful effect on the environment [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 48 ], while others argue that tourism does not have a negative environmental impact [ 44 , 46 , 49 ]. Our conclusion is that tourism has a relatively sustainable dimension.…”

“…Paramati et al (2018) [ 27 ] concluded that tourism, mainly due to transport and accommodation, is responsible for high energy consumption, especially from fossil fuels, and the generation of large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, which makes the tourism industry one of the most important sources of global warming. In Turkey and throughout the Black Sea region, tourism provides economic benefits to local communities, but they are unsustainable in the medium and long term [ 28 ].…”