The Expectations of the Local Community and Visitors From Tourism in Rural Areas: Case of Safranbolu–Yörükköyü Village

Abstract

In this study, the following topics were questioned with a research based on questionnaires, observations and related literature.• What is the visitors’ land use and satisfaction level?• What are the expectations of the local community from tourism and what are they able to do? With this aim, different questionnaires were applied to the visitors and the local community in the case of the SafranboluYörükköyü Village. These questionnaires were applied to a total of randomly selected 194 people. 144 of them were composed of visitors and 50 of them were from the local community. Questionnaires have been applied to people having different socio-economic structures in June and July of 2004. The research shows that Safranbolu-Yörükköyü has a suitable potential for rural tourism with its historical, cultural and natural resources. These resources can contribute to the diversification and distribution of tourism to different seasons, and the local people can have active roles during this process.