SUSTAINABLE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF CITIES AND THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS: A STUDY ON SAMSUN

Tourism sector is not only a driving force for the economic development both in developed and developing countries it also contains the environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable development. For this reason, it is very important to adopt the notion of sustainability in tourism. Local governments have vital roles in raising awareness about the issues like contributions of sustainable tourism in development, protection of natural, environmental and cultural properties etc. Samsun has important potential in sustainable tourism. The decisions and activities of local governments to increase the existing potential and awareness about sustainable tourism among local people will not only provide ecological balance but also contribute to the local development. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the importance of sustainable tourism for achieving sustainable development in cities and to display the vital role of local government in redressing the balance between nature and development in the case of Samsun. The study was carried out on literature scanning. Moreover in this study it is planned to gather information from relevant departments of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality about the activities done and about the future plans related sustainable tourism through in-depth interview