TURKISH REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES AND TOURISM SECTOR
Uğur Çalişkan, Süleyman Toy
DOI: 10.35666/25662880.2016.2.256
UDC: 338.46:332.14(560)
Abstract: Turkish planned development efforts are not new but it is achieved by following other developments introduced in especially western countries. Turkish regional development policies experienced a breakthrough after early 2000s, when the country stepped forward to accept European Union policies in which mainly the statistical units are classified (NUTS) to collect data to be used to make policies. As the result of accepting such a policy, Turkey also formed statistical units all over the country in 2002 and established regional development agencies in 26 NUTS II regions in a period beginning from 2006 to 2010 to accelerate regional development and to reduce the regional developmental differences by energizing the local potentials. Among the duties of these RDAs are the preparation of regional plans, strategies, and financial support programs and they count tourism sector as crucial for the development of their region. In the present study, the importance of tourism sector for the development of the regions where the agencies work and regional plans were prepared in coordination with all partners is evaluated. In this respect, the performance of RDAs related to implemented grant programs is examined by considering and analyzing the content of their financial supports. In conclusions, the spatial alleviation of financial support and some feedbacks for national, regional and inter-regional tourism policies are provided.
Key words: Tourism, NUTS II Regions, Regional Development Agencies, Regional Development Plans, Financial and Technical Support