THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURAL TOURISM IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT: THE CASE OF BODRUM MANDARIN GARDENS

Abstract

Turkey stands out as a country that can reach the goal of sustainable rural development, benefiting from agricultural tourism due to fertile lands found in its geography, rich cultural heritage, and having different customs and manners. As one of leading touristic destinations, Bodrum county, a part of Muğla province, where fishing, sponge hunting, farming, citrus growing and stockbreeding have been main sources of livelihood and where touristic activities ara distributed over the course of the year, has been chosen as a field of study. As a research method, semi-structured interview questions were asked to non-governmental organization employees and volunteers. The aim of the study is to evaluate the potential of agricultural tourism from the Bodrum mandarin in terms of rural development by taking the point of views from NGOs operating in Bodrum. As a result, a decrease in rate of giving up on citrus production is expected, as the added value increases. Also, the number of scientific studies focusing on Bodrum Mandarin, which has a geographical indication tag, should be increased.