Sustainable Rural Tourism in Akseki Sarihacilar Village

Abstract

The article establishes a framework for diversifying tourism in Antalya through the evaluation of a village in terms of sustainable rural tourism. Located 160 kilometers from Antalya on the road to Konya, the Akseki district is explored as a case study within the context of the project. The goal of the project is to provide maximum efficiency in the economical, social, and cultural dimensions of tourism with sustainable development practices in order to dispel the incongruities of regional development. As a result of the survey carried out in the region, the "Sarihacilar" Village, located 4 km away from downtown Akseki, was chosen as a sample for application due to its unique richness. Hosting only seven migrant families dealing with livestock, it is almost abandoned because of migration. The planning process endeavors to bring rural tourism to the Sarihacilar Village; it started with the preparation of an inventory of the existing village and the houses. The process was carried out through communication with the homeowners, determination of necessities, re-programming of the buildings and questionnaires. In the meantime, maps of the existing conditions and the settlement plans for the village were prepared. Subsequently the restoration some of buildings, 10 houses and village mansions, had been completed. With the aims of providing possibilities of alternative tourism in Antalya and of accelerating progress in rural areas by means of tourism, the Akseki Sarihacilar village seeks to create a tourism industry that guarantees that all of its local, social and cultural values are preserved.