THE ROLE OF THE FESTIVAL TOURISM IN THE DESTINATION BRANDING: A RESEARCH ON ALACATI HERB FESTIVAL

The rapid development of activities over the last 15-20 years has contributed to the development of destinations both economically and socially. This development will continue in the future. The reason for this is that the style and size of the events continue to improve each year. The festival tourism which is the basis of the research is also one of the most important parts of the event tourism. The festival tourism which is a common point of tourism and activity concept, increases the interest of tourism by providing competitive advantage compared to other destinations, extending tourism season and spreading it in tourism seasons. Festivals contribute to increasing the number of tourists in the destination, promoting destinations and becoming a brand, and creating value for the destination. For this purpose, the effect of Ala？at？ Herb Festival on being a brand of Ala？at？ Destination was investigated and the operators working in the region were interviewed and tried to measure their perceptions. Some suggestions are proposed to contribute the festival to be more effective by evaluating the perceptions of the Ala？at？ Herb Festival