An evaluation on sustainable tourism demand: The case of Muğla, Turkey

Abstract

Tourism sector that is one of the most important, driving power of social, economic and cultural development, has a significant role, especially for developing countries. In this sense, the countries aiming to get a bigger share in tourism have to carefully observe the fast progression in this sector and fulfill the changing expectations of the customers.  In order to fulfill quality service and customer satisfaction, sustainability is very important in the sector in general. In this study which primarily discusses sustainable tourism, sustainable tourism practices affecting tourism demand will be referred. The ultimate aim of this research is to evaluate the level of the effect of sustainable tourism practices on tourism demand. The sample of the study is a total of 600 persons of foreign tourists who visited Mugla. According to data acquired from the questionnaires; protection of ecological, cultural and natural heritage, slow city, eco-label, concept and the competition power of the enterprise are the affecting factors on the tourism demand. Such results showed that sustainable tourism practices influence tourism demand positively.