ABSTRACT
Tourism is essential to the economic well-being of the Turkish nation, as long as no despoliation of the natural and cultural resource base occurs. With the exception of ecotourism, tourists have rarely been explicitly confronted with an explanation of the detrimental environmental consequences of their actions and/or given an opportunity to provide part of any solution. Socio-economic development in coastal regions is in many respects more rapid than elsewhere, which is partially due to the high potential for tourism activities in these regions. Due to its favourable climatic conditions and naturally beautiful coastal areas richly decorated with historical treasures, the Mediterranean basin is one of the leading coastal tourism areas in the world. The UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO, 2007) states that over 30 per cent of the total tourism activities in the world takes place in the Mediterranean basin. Tourism in Turkey, especially along its Mediterranean coast, has developed rapidly since the early 1980s. In fact Turkey has the third fastest growth rate (over 9 per cent) compared to a total growth rate of 7 per cent. The share of tourism receipts for Turkey in export income alone was 19.8 per cent and was 4.2 per cent of gross national product (CBMCT, 2007).
