Abstract

One of the most important components of ecotourism is the participation of the indigenous people and this is often defined as a major way in ecotourism’s main purpose. While they are often service providers for visitors, it is sometimes possible to see that they are just the main reason why the area is visited. This study examines the different approaches of eco-tourists and indigenous people to some important characteristics of the ecotourism areas and it proves how their understanding might be different from each other. To do this, five highland tourism centers in Trabzon city of Turkey were chosen as the research areas. Two different questionnaire forms were given to the eco-tourists and to the indigenous people in the areas to be able to identify their approaches regarding different characteristics of the areas. While only one person was randomly chosen from a group of visitors in the areas so that those who were in the same group might have had same or similar approaches, only one indigenous person was also chosen from a household for the same reason. Findings revealed that the eco-tourists and the indigenous people had quite different approaches and perceptions even on the same issues in the same areas, which meant that there was a potential offer-demand problem especially because the indigenous people were the only service providers in the research areas. The aim of this investigation is to contribute to the knowledge base needed to plan more efficient ecotourism areas and to address the growing gap between offer (from the indigenous people) and demand (from the eco-tourists) in ecotourism business.

Key words: Offer – demand problem, ecotourism, eco-tourist, indigenous people, highland.