Klein 1
Courtney Klein
Alan Bartley
Environmental Economics
6 November 2014
Eco-Tourism
Tourism plays a major role in the economy of Turkey. In 2013, total tourism income
amounted to $32,309 with the amount of foreign visitors at 34.91 million. These amounts have
only increased so far in 2014.1 However, tourism has increasingly become harmful to the
environment, due to the emissions from these people and institutions. This has led to the rise of
eco-tourism, “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves
the well-being of local people”.2
Tourism places a large amount of unnecessary stress on the environment. Specifically in
Turkey, tourism is leading to an increase in the speed of land degradation.3 Ecotourism (globally)
creates $77 billion in revenue and has become one of fastest growing sectors in the world.4
While doing this, eco-tourism also does not cause negative effects on the environment.
According to the Tourism Strategy of Turkey-2023, the goal of eco-tourism in Turkey is to use
the “natural, cultural, historical and geographical values” of the country to encourage people to
visit these places in beneficial ways.5 Turkey borders four important seas: the Aegean, Black,
Mediterranean and Marmara. This adds up to around 8,333 km of coastline, much of which is
1
"Turkey Tourism on Growth Trajectory | Travel Daily ME." Travel Daily Media RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov.
2014. <http://www.traveldailymedia.com/212679/turkey-tourism-on-growth-trajectory/>.
2
"Ecotourism - Turkey.com." Turkeycom. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://turkey.com/discover/ecotourism/>.
3
"European Commission." Mediterranean Land Degradation Threatens Food Security on Environmental XPRT.
N.p., 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://www.environmental-expert.com/news/mediterranean-landdegradation-threatens-food-security-450600>.
4
Iovanna, Richard, and Stephen C. Newbold. "Ecological Sustainability in Policy Assessments: A Wide-angle View
and a Close Watch." Ecological Economics 63.4 (2007): 639-48. EBSCO Sustainability. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
<http://ebscosustainability.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ecotourism.pdf>.
5
"The Global Science Panel on Population in Sustainable Development." Population and Development Review 28.2
(2002): 367-69. INTECH. Web. 3 Nov. 2014. <http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/45414.pdf>.
Klein 2
crucial for the surrounding ecosystems.6 Specifically, ecotourism works to secure the culture and
customs of Turkish villages while also encouraging growth in the local economies. Ecotourism
also prevents the destruction of forests by decreasing the construction of tourist locations.7
Moreover, eco-tourists do not visit crowded “typical-tourist” locations or they only travel in the
off-season, when tourists rarely travel. Due these attributes, ecotourism clearly is the most
environmentally beneficial way to continue a tourist culture.
In Turkey the majority of the eco-tourism is focused on national parks, coastal areas and
archaeological sites.8 Turkey has 35 areas that are currently being protected due to the existence
of endangered flora and fauna.9 These have become key locations for eco-tourists, who strive to
experience the purity of the country. Another popular activity for eco-tourists in Turkey is bird
watching. Turkey is home to the same number of bird species as the entirety of Europe and it is
located on many important bird travel routes.10 Birds are known to be one of the best indicators
of a flourishing environment. Others travel to the high land of Turkey to have a rich cultural
experience. These highlands are the perfect example of humanity living in harmony with
nature.11 Turkey is also known for its hiking locations. These marked paths are eco-friendly and
allow visitors to take in the natural beauty of the country.12 All of these sights offer immense
beauty with little to no negative impact on the surrounding environment.
Another type of eco-tourism that is on the rise in Turkey is eco-agro-tourism. This is a
form of tourism that “connects farmers practicing organic/ecological agriculture and individuals
6
"European Commission."
"Eco Tourism in Turkey." Travel Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://traveltips.usatoday.com/eco-tourismturkey-39806.html>.
8
"Ecotourism - Turkey.com."
9
"Ecotourism." - Go Turkey Official Tourism Portal of Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.goturkey.com/en/pages/read/ekotourism>.
10
"Ecotourism."
11
"Ecotourism."
12
"Ecotourism."
7
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having an interest at organic agriculture”.13 The goal is to integrate agriculture into the tourism
sector at the local level.14 With the increase in tourism like this in Turkey, the risk to the
environment would only decrease more so. By promoting tourism that is not harmful for the
environment, there is hope that environmental issues can be controlled. This is a pertinent issue
today in Turkey and the Turkish government has taken great strides to control this issue.
13
"Ecotourism - Turkey.com."
"Dubai Cultural & Information Office of TURKEY|tourismturkey.ae | ECOTOURISM AND AGROTOURISM
BECOMING POPULAR IN TURKEY." Dubai Cultural & Information Office of TURKEY|tourismturkey.ae |
ECOTOURISM AND AGROTOURISM BECOMING POPULAR IN TURKEY. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.tourismturkey.ae/en/ECOTOURISM-AND-AGROTOURISM-BECOMING-POPULAR-INTURKEY-/15>.
14
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Works Cited
"Ecotourism." - Go Turkey Official Tourism Portal of Turkey. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.goturkey.com/en/pages/read/ekotourism>.
"Eco Tourism in Turkey." Travel Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://traveltips.usatoday.com/eco-tourism-turkey-39806.html>.
"Ecotourism - Turkey.com." Turkeycom. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://turkey.com/discover/ecotourism/>.
"European Commission." Mediterranean Land Degradation Threatens Food Security on
Environmental XPRT. N.p., 30 Oct. 2014. Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://www.environmentalexpert.com/news/mediterranean-land-degradation-threatens-food-security-450600>.
"Dubai Cultural & Information Office of TURKEY|tourismturkey.ae | ECOTOURISM AND
AGROTOURISM BECOMING POPULAR IN TURKEY." Dubai Cultural & Information
Office of TURKEY|tourismturkey.ae | ECOTOURISM AND AGROTOURISM BECOMING
POPULAR IN TURKEY. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Nov. 2014.
<http://www.tourismturkey.ae/en/ECOTOURISM-AND-AGROTOURISM-BECOMINGPOPULAR-IN-TURKEY-/15>.
Iovanna, Richard, and Stephen C. Newbold. "Ecological Sustainability in Policy Assessments: A
Wide-angle View and a Close Watch." Ecological Economics 63.4 (2007): 639-48. EBSCO
Sustainability. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
<http://ebscosustainability.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/ecotourism.pdf>.
"The Global Science Panel on Population in Sustainable Development." Population and
Development Review 28.2 (2002): 367-69. INTECH. Web. 3 Nov. 2014.
<http://cdn.intechopen.com/pdfs-wm/45414.pdf>.
"Turkey Tourism on Growth Trajectory | Travel Daily ME." Travel Daily Media RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 03 Nov. 2014. <http://www.traveldailymedia.com/212679/turkey-tourism-on-growthtrajectory/>.