Tourism and the Commodification of Cultural Heritage in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains, Turkey

Abstract

In Turkey, until the beginning of the 1990s, the coastal areas were the top destination for many people during their summer vacation. However, this preference has started to shift toward the mountain areas. Nowadays, mountainous regions of the Eastern Black Sea Region, especially the summer pastures, “Yayla (plural: Yaylalar)” have become popular vacation spots for domestic tourists. Highlands and summer pastures possess a rich natural and cultural heritage in the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey. Therefore, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is promoting rural tourism in the region. With the expansion of the tourism industry, tourist activities have also gained momentum in some summer pastures, turning them into important tourism centers with increased tourism investments. This activity has also brought a rapid change in land use patterns and functions of summer pastures along with the lifestyle of the local people. This shift has resulted in positive changes such as development in the area on one hand and negative changes in environmental, socioeconomic, and cultural values on the other. Therefore, it is assumed that rural tourism (yayla tourism) and the protection of our cultural heritage have correlation in terms of conflict and mutual benefits.