The Effect of Cultural Tourism on Urban Development: The Case of Konya/Turkey

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of cultural tourism on urban development and within this scope to help the city of Konya define the areas of its development in which investments should be heavily made in the future. In order to conduct research into the effects of tourism on the city, in June 2013 an open-ended questionnaire was sent to 50 tradesmen from the sampling area using random sampling method. The questionnaire consists of the following 7 questions “What is your profession?, What is the most important reason for the presence of your store here?, What comes to your mind first when you speak of tourism?, What are the benefits of tourism to the city?, What are the drawbacks of tourism?, Do you think that the investments made in tourism are adequate? Why?, What should be done to improve tourism in the city?” In recent years, along with the economic progress in developing countries some changes in the cities of those countries have begun to draw attention. These changes include urban renewal, urban transformation, and efforts to renew some areas of cities that have lost their previous functions. Konya (Turkey) is one of these examples. Within this framework, a couple of changes have been made in the Mevlana Museum and in its immediate vicinity. Included in these changes has been the restructuring of the square, streets, and avenues of the tourist area, enabling tourists to get about more comfortably. Some buildings bearing historical significance have been renovated. In addition the construction of some new luxurious hotels has taken place in that area, while the building of houses and trade centres has been directed to different areas of the city. It can be seen that the pressure of tourism on the area is fairly high. The most significant request made by tradesmen to the city management has been in regards to the making improvements in the Mevlana Museum and in its immediate vicinity