Local People's Perception of Tourism Carrying Capacity: The Example of Edremit

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the opinions of local people about the tourism carrying capacity in Edremit district within the borders of Balıkesir province. The research is qualitative research and an interview form was created to determine the thoughts of the local people living in Edremit about the carrying capacity. Within the scope of the research, face-to-face interviews were conducted with people selected from the local people and the data obtained were evaluated with a descriptive expression. According to the research results obtained, it has been determined that the economic carrying capacity in Edremit is overstrained due to the traffic issue within the physical carrying capacity, the sewage problem within the infrastructure factor, and the price increases. It has been determined that the local people, who are determined to be very willing to support tourism development, are willing to host more tourists if the problems arising from tourism in Edremit are resolved.