A Study on Deyrulzafaran Monastery and Visitor Profile in Terms of Religious Tourism

Abstract

In this study, the religious and cultural importance of Deyrulzafaran Monastery (Mardin) and the visitor profile visiting the monastery were examined. Accepting more than 200.000 visitors during the year, the monastery has a great potential in terms of faith tourism. In the study, the survey technique was applied as a method. Accordingly, a survey was conducted with 400 individuals selected according to the simple random sampling method to determine the visitor profile. The data obtained from the survey were analysed and interpreted in SPSS 22 package program by using descriptive statistics and using various statistical analyses. According to this; It is observed that the visitors visiting the monastery consist mostly of women, the age groups mostly consist of young population between the ages of 18-35 and individuals with higher education level. Over 97% of visitors come from within the country, while the rest come from countries such as Germany, Sweden and Canada. The architectural structure of the monastery and its ambiance stand out as the most liked by the visitors. As a result, Deyrulzafaran Monastery, an important value in terms of faith tourism in Turkey Given the religious and cultural values and with work that demonstrated a big potential.