Site management and cultural tourism in Turkey :a case study on the church of St Nicholas, Perge, Aspendos and Alanya Castle

Abstract

This research investigates the site management initiatives that were introduced as a result of the changes made in 2004 to the Law for the Conservation of Cultural and Natural Properties, the main law dealing with all heritage sites in Turkey. These initiatives, which were put forth via a regulation that came into force in 2005, primarily aim at ensuring the safeguarding of certain archaeological sites and conservation areas within the scope of sustainable management plans and in co-ordination with actors other than the state. The main determinants that shaped the formulation of site management initiatives in Turkey are the management plan criteria developed by UNESCO for the World Heritage List and the state’s patent intention of enhancing cultural tourism, which the Ministry of Culture and Tourism expects will function as a supplement to the mass tourism industry. As a case study, this piece of policy research provides an analysis of the aforementioned site management initiatives in order to shed light on their implementation process and their contribution to the development of cultural tourism. The four case studies from the province of Antalya – one of the loci for ongoing and future site management projects in Turkey – are used to fulfil the research aims and objectives. The findings from the case studies are triangulated with analyses of the wider literature on heritage management and tourism, and on prior policies concerning archaeological sites and tourism in Turkey. The major findings of this study indicate that the site management initiatives in question have promising potential in furnishing solutions to several long-standing management problems related to heritage sites in Turkey. In this regard, they should be approached independently of any WHL-related concerns, and should be supported with strong criteria of enforcement and punitive sanctions. This study also illustrates that the future of cultural tourism in Turkey is uncertain due to the entrenched influence of mass tourism policies as well as the governance, planning, and research problems stemming from these policies.