Effects of Tourism and Recreation Activities on Economic Structure: A Case Study on Antalya

Abstract

It is no accident that the increased modern urbanization in Antalya, containing the three"T's"(Agriculture, Trade, and Tourism) of the operational economy types, coincides with a period when tourism operations have started. Today, Antalya is entering into a phase of rapid development and has gained the identity of a "touristy city" as a result of the perceptions and practices of both the local people and the local administrative structure. The touristic and recreational characteristics of Antalya can create positive and negative effects on the economic, social (cultural), and environmental structures of the city. The effects of tourism activities in tourist areas cannot be understood by isolating them from the conditions of the environment. The outcomes of tourism and recreational activities in Antalya, one of the important tourism cities in Turkey, are likely to be grouped under three main effects: "economic," social-cultural," and "environmental." However, in this study, the effects of tourism and recreational activities on the economic structure of the city are examined, as the economic effect is the primary reason for all of the elements.