Butterfly Watching and Turkey’s Butterflies Tourism Potential

Abstract

Butterfly watching is an important wildlife watching and special interest tourism activity in recent years. Turkey has a rich fauna in butterfly species and host to the many endemic species but a comprehensive review of the literature research about the ties between the butterfly watching and tourism interests in Turkey is not yet complete. The purpose of this study is to reveal that there is another tourism type in point of alternative tourism activities of Turkey by considering the tourism potential of butterfly watching in Turkey. For this purpose, developments in butterfly watching and Turkey's butterfly diversity are investigated by literature review. In this research, it has been determined that butterflies also have an important potential in destination development and diversification such as other wildlife tourism values. However, it can also be contributed to rural development by determining important butterfly areas and organizing guided tours. Also, it is thought that nature-based alternative tourism types, away from crowded masses and made with small groups in natural areas such as butterfly watching and photography, will become more popular.