The Roles of Non-Governmental Organizations in Destination Marketing

Abstract

Non-governmental Organizations (NGO) are non-profit, voluntary, civil communities which are formed to take actions for the sake of the society. There are many NGOs established to support tourism from different aspects. The importance of accepting tourism as an ecosystem and supporting the promotion and marketing activities of different stakeholders in tourism is increasing day by day. The aim of this research is to find out the roles of civil society services in destination marketing and their contribution to tourism. In order to realize this aim, semistructured interviews were carried out with the presidents of the non-governmental organizations operating in Antalya Muratpaşa district. Theme analysis was used in the evaluation of the obtained data. As a result of the research, it has been understood that the NGOs have a significant impact on their activities in the promotion and marketing of Antalya as a destination, both at the national and international level. Another important finding is that NGOs promote the province with their own individual efforts, which would be insufficient to bring tourism to the desired level. From this point of view, cooperation with NGOs in the promotion and marketing of destinations can be more successful in regional tourism development.