Basic motivations and activities of ecotourists: The case of Lake Van Basin, Turkey

Ecotourism has been advanced as a form of sustainable tourism that is expected to boost the conservation of natural areas and development in the rural communities of Turkey. This study provides one of the few examinations of the rapidly developing Turkish ecotourism market in the context of foreign visitation to Lake Van Basin in Turkey. The aim of this paper is to determine the basic motivations and activities of foreign ecotourists visiting Lake Van Basin. The research sample was selected randomly and consisted of foreign visitors aged 18 or older. A two-page questionnaire was conducted through face-to-face interviews. A total of 147 participants participated in the survey in the period of April–December 2011 and April–December 2012.

The findings include demographic results, travel motivations, and ecotourism activities. Visiting historical sites, exploring nature, and experiencing local culture are the three most important motivations of ecotourists. Furthermore, hiking, rural tourism activities, swimming in the lake, and winter sports were ranked as the most popular activities by visitors. Based on the one-way ANOVA results, there is a significant difference in terms of activities participated in (which include rafting, nature walks, winter sports, bird watching, and photo safari tours) among casual nature tourists, mainstream nature tourists, and dedicated nature tourists. In addition, the test results also indicate that with regard to the most important reasons to visit, only exploring new things statistically differs among the groups.