Why Do So Few Local People Visit National Parks? Examining Constraints to Antalya’s National Parks, Turkey

Abstract

National parks are significant tourism and recreational areas thatare widely used in many countries. Although such areas arewidespread in Turkey, their resource value is underestimated.For this reason, this research aims to identify the constraintsregarding local people’s use of national parks and investigate theeffects of demographic features on these constraints. Thisresearch conducted in Antalya, which is the city with the mostnational park areas in Turkey. Mixed method approach wasapplied in this study. In the first stage, a sample of 100 people inAntalya were interviewed. In the second stage, a questionnairewas given to 2,367 people. The three-dimensional leisureconstraints model was used as the study’s theoretical framework.The findings showed that lack of information/facilities(structural) was the main restriction on local people’s use ofnational parks, followed by accessibility/finance (structural),maintenance (structural), social (interpersonal) and individual/psychological (intrapersonal) factors. Use of national parks wasalso affected by demographic features of sex, age, marital status,having a child, income and education level. In conclusion, theexistence of structural constraints as dominant national park useis advantageous in constraint management. The Turkish nationalparks and the tourism authorities should therefore change theirmanagement strategies regarding this issue.