RESPONSIBLE TOURISM: PROVINCIAL DIRECTORATE of CULTURE and TOURISM PERSPECTIVE

Responsible tourism is defined as a type of tourism which satisfies tourists, protects and/or develops the destination environment and utilized by the local people of the destination. In responsible tourism, it is expected from the individuals, organizations and businesses to be responsible from their own actions; the responsibility is loaded to every interest group. In literature, it is stated that the local authorities should have a important role both national and local contexts. The aim of the study is to discuss the attitude and role of the provincial directorate of Culture and Tourism which are responsible to create awareness and to reveal the cooperation with other stakeholders. Though, structured interviews were made with 26 directorates, and the data are analyzed by using statistical program. As a result, the concept of responsible tourism is not clear at the directorate level, the concept is mainly used with and instead of sustainable tourism. Besides although it is a current issue, the concept is still not efficiently developed