Evaluation of Rural Culture in Ödemiş-Lübbey Using Creative Tourism

Abstract

Today’s postmodern forms of structuring are changing tourism and tourist expectations, especially in the research field of cultural heritage-tourism relations, and causing transformations in cultural tourism. Postmodern cultural tourists are more likely to go beyond being sight collectors at their destinations to experiencing culture and localities, being part of the ratio, and developing and expressing themselves. As a result of this transformation, interest in non-tangible cultural heritage in cultural tourism is increasing, and new approaches such as creative tourism are developing. In this respect, the heritage inherited by rural areas will be able to sustain itself through the creative tourism approach, and it will support rural development in the postmodern tourism period by providing tourists with significant tourism attractions. The aim of the work is to draw attention to creative tourism, which is viewed today as the tourism approach of the present and future, and the new attractions that are brought to the countryside, while the number of tourists participating in cultural tourism increases, along with the expectations of postmodern tourists. Within this scope, Lubbey village (Camyayla neighbourhood) in Odemis district of Izmir province was chosen as the research area. The village of Lubbey, also called the region of swashbucklers, is a unique village where tangible and intangible cultural heritage can be sustained. However, Lubbey’s traditional settlement fabric and traditional architectural remains of the village still need to be preserved. In Lubbey village, a mosque, a coffee shop, a trade structure, a village hall, and 45 houses has been were declared, ‘second degree of immovable an urban protected area’. Natural and cultural geographical views resembling film studios are another finding that requires Lubbey’s attention. This research is an original work in that creative tourism and changing tourism trends in the development of rural areas through tourism are proving to be tangible examples of increasing the attractiveness of rural areas. Data obtained through an in-depth interview technique derived from qualitative research methods will be subjected to content analysis and interpreted.