Determining the Profile and Satisfaction Levels of the Ayvacık Camel Wrestling Festival Visitors

Abstract

Today, tourism is one of the main sectors engaged in the development of the global economy. In order to leave the resources used in tourism to future generations, sustainable tourism is an important approach. In order to sustain tourism, it is necessary to be aware of and protect the cultural, touristic and historical values that exist in a region. Local cultural heritage is one of the main values that destinations can bring to the fore. The Ayvacık Camel Wrestling Festival in Çanakkale is one of the cultural values of the region. The aim of this research is to determine the profiles of the visitors participating in Ayvacık Camel Wrestling Festival and to determine their satisfaction levels. The survey, one of the data collected tools, was conducted with 289 visitors. As a result of the research, it was determined that the participants are mostly men and young. The high school and university graduates have a close distribution. It was found that visitors joined the camel wrestling to continue the traditional culture. The result has been reached that the level of satisfaction of the participants was high, they found the organization successful and they considered the festival valuable worldwide. In addition, suggestions about the festival organization were presented.