The Role of Tourism in Regional Development and Its Effects on Economic Development

Abstract

Tourism is a sector with positive effects on regional development. It is an important development tool that provides economic, social and political development in the region. Because a region's tourism potential accelerates that the development of the region's multi-faceted. Some of the regions, thanks to the development of the tourism sector, are growing fast therefore, the existing tourism potential should be considered very well. Thus, development in a region of tourism in rural or underdeveloped areas can help eliminate economic imbalances. In this context, to increase the contribution of tourism to the local economy, the demand and the attractiveness for tourist attraction for the existing tourism values should be increased. If more tourists can be attracted to the region by using all the opportunities; employment, income and value-added are increased and sustainable development can be performed. Therefore, in this study, tourism is analyzed by main economic, social and environmental indicators and its basic problems and impacts are determined by thinking of tourism as a crucial development tool in a region. So the basic aim of the study is to determine the effects on the regional economic development of the tourism sector and draw attention to raising awareness of the tourism potential of Mardin.