Agro-tourism potential of animal farms in the Dalaman and Fethiye region

The main purpose of this research is to investigate the agro-tourism potential of family farms in traditional structures engaged in livestock breeding in Dalaman and Fethiye region. The study material constituted a total of 60 farms in the region with high tourism potential, whose main production material is cattle, sheep or goat. Physical conditions and agro-tourism potentials of the farms was defined by observations and interviews methods. Obtained results indicated that all of the farms are small family farms dealing with nomadic livestock breeding in the traditional structure. Morever, it has been determined that the physical possibilities of these farms should be developed in terms of agro-tourism. The availability of the airport, the ease of transportation and being one of the important tourism centers due to its natural and cultural beauties can be listed as powerful and advantageous aspects of the region. On the contrary, the lack of agro-tourism consciousness level and the lack of promotional activities by tourism agents are the significant disadvantages of the region. The results are the most important indication that the region has a high agro-tourism potential because the livestock farms with authentic structure are close to the tourism centers. But the necessity of developing this potential cannot be ignored. It is expected that the findings obtained from this study will contribute to the rural tourism investments and the development of sustainable traditional livestock in the region.