The share of faith tourism heritage in the supply of cultural tourism, the case of Mersin; an evaluation on the tour catalogs of travel agencies in Istanbul

Abstract

Türkiye possesses a wealth of tangible and intangible cultural heritage within its borders, encompassing both Islamic and, notably, early Christian settlements. These faith-based heritage sites hold profound significance for individuals and groups of both faiths, potentially attracting visitors engaged in faith tourism and cultural tourism alike. This study aims to investigate, firstly, the proportion of Türkiye's faith heritage offerings within the broader realm of cultural tourism, and secondly, to delve into the specific utilization of faith heritage sites with varying characteristics within faith tourism through the tour catalogs of travel agencies in the case of Mersin which designated as the starting point of Turkey's faith tourism corridor. To achieve this objective, the content of tour catalogs from 29 Istanbul-based Group A travel agencies was meticulously analyzed. The findings reveal a rather low ratio of faith tours to cultural tours, standing at a mere 4.8%. Notably, the Southeastern Anatolia Region emerged as the area where religious heritage sites are most frequently incorporated into cultural tours. Furthermore, the study identified Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as the faiths whose heritage sites are most commonly featured in faith tours. Interestingly, it was observed that cultural heritage sites are extensively integrated into the itineraries of faith-based tours. Finally, the analysis disclosed a limited use of Mersin's religious heritage sites within the examined tour products.