Community-Based Tourism as Sustainable Development

Abstract

This chapter focuses on community-based tourism both as a form of alternative tourism and sustainable development in Turkey. The chapter firstly discusses the broader context of community-based tourism projects in Turkey, looking at how community-based tourism is viewed as an instrument of sustainable development. A number of community-based tourism projects are outlined in order to develop an understanding of the kinds of community-based tourism developments which have recently been undertaken in conjunction with external/international development agencies, as well as examples which are internally/domestically generated. The chapter then provides an in-depth examination of the case of Göreme in the Cappadocia region as an example of internally generated community-based tourism development. Along with examples of community-based tourism projects elsewhere in Turkey, the case of Göreme shows that community-based tourism aligns well with other forms of alternative tourism. Moreover, with capacity-building input, there is a significant potential for future developments of community-based tourism throughout Turkey.