The Challenges of Sustainable Tourism Development in Special Environmental Protected Areas: Local Resident Perceptions in Datça-Bozburun

Abstract

This study depicts the challenges and opportunities of sustainable tourism development in Special Environmental Protected Areas with a Datça-Bozburun Peninsula case study via a mixed method. Relying on the social exchange theory and triple bottom line approach, this study is one of the first studies to deal with the development of tourism in SPAs and the support given to tourism in a multifaceted way. The study depicts tourism’s economic, sociocultural, and environmental effects in the context of destination development stages. It also determines these variables’ effects on tourism support. With these aspects of the study, we found that the propositions of social exchange theory are validated. While economic, social, and cultural impacts affect tourism support, the environmental impact does not affect tourism support. The qualitative findings suggest that tourism development shifted from nature-based tourism with foreigners to mass tourism with locals. The low interest of local tourists in water sports and the lack of promotion are important dynamics behind the development of local mass tourism in Datça with a sun-sand-sea orientation. Besides the lack of emphasis on the special protected areas’ unique hallmarks, the deficiencies in coordination and pitfalls in monitoring resources are unique challenges for sustainable tourism development.