DOĞU KARADENİZ’DE GELİŞME POTANSİYELİ YÜKSEK BİR YAYLA TURİZM MERKEZİ: KULAKKAYA YAYLASI

Abstract

Highland areas attract people's interest because they contain natural and social tourist resources. Indeed, highlands attract attention not only due to clean air, springs, healing waters, own unique climate and fauna but at the same time due to cultural attractiveness where finest examples of highland life can be experienced. Highland areas are source of considerable charm recently for people who are tired from the classical tourism mediocrity and the crowd and looking for calmness and silence and accordingly turning to alternative types of tourism. Highland tourism started to develop in this context has come noteworthy every day among alternative types of tourism. For highland tourism activities prominently known in recent years in our country, the city of Giresun within Eastern Black Sea Region has a level of tourism potential to be assessed in in our research area. Giresun city covers three highland tourism centers and highland area suitable for development of t highland tourism. Considering potential natural and social touristic resources Kulakkaya Highland of Yavuzkemal County in Dereli district was declared as a tourism center by the Council of Ministers in 1991 in this regard. Kulakkaya Highland has great tourism assets to be develop including primarily natural beauty (unusual nature, rich fauna, clean water and air, etc.) and  unique culture charm of Black Sea highland culture (local dishes, traditional dwellings, crafts, local music, games, etc.).In this environment it is possible to perform many touristic activities like hiking, horse trekking, photo safaris, jeep safaris, bike safaris, botanical tourism and wildlife watching. In addition the region has favorable conditions in terms of many types of tourism such as mountain tourism, winter tourism, health tourism and cultural tourism. Kulakkaya Highland with such a high tourism potential will achieve significant success on the way of creating trademark in highland tourism with development of necessary touristic infrastructure, accommodation and access facilities, effective promotion and more important than all these with a long-term sustainable planning where protection-utilization balance is taken into account. Key words: Kulakkaya, Highland, Tourism, Potential