KARTEPE’DE DOĞA SPORLARININ ALTERNATİF TURİZM AMAÇLI KULLANIMI VE SORUNLARINA YÖNELİK ÇÖZÜM ÖNERİLERİ

Özet

District of Kartepe, located in Kocaeli provience, is one of the main attracting recreational areas for outdoor sports such as triathlon, canoeing, cycling, diving, orieentiring, etc. This region, however, can not manage to draw the tourists attention as expected within its capacity. Within this frame, the main purpose of this study is to analyse the feasibility of outdoor sports in Kartepe and to offer suggestions for potential problems. Focus group interview within qualitative research method was chosen as data gathering method. The data was collected from public administrators, sector representatives, tourism volunteers, academicians and sportsmen. The results indicated that outdoor sports is the key component of sustainable regional development in Kartepe. Suggestions for future centered development was also presented in conclusion part of the study.