AKADEM<İ>KTİSAT

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN HALFETİ AND AYVALIK

AS THE RECENT AND POTENTIAL CITTASLOWS

CONTENTS

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Sustainable Tourism Development and Cittaslow Philosophy

2.1. Sustainable Tourism Development

2.2. Cittaslow Philosophy

2.3. Requirements for a Cittaslow in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development

3. Cittaslow Philosophy in the World and Turkey

3.1. Cittaslow International

3.2. Cittaslow in Turkey

3.3. Halfeti as the Recent Cittaslow and Ayvalık as a Potential Cittaslow Candidate in Turkey

4. A Comparative Descriptive Analysis for Cittaslows in Turkey; the Cases of Halfeti and Ayvalık

4.1. Methodology of the Research

4.2. Results of the Research

5. Conclusion

Bibliography

Abstract

This paper asserts that Sustainable Tourism Development would be realised more systematically and speedily if the number of Cittaslows could be increased all over the world. In this paper, the case of Ayvalık is studied particularly. For this purpose, Cittaslow candidateship of Ayvalık is offered under four main criteria, namely: historic structures, natural resources, socio-cultural values, and touristic capacities. In this context, and with particular importance being given to these four major criteria, extensive data on Ayvalık have been collected and its Cittaslow capacity revealed. Later, the appropriateness of Ayvalık to be Cittaslow was established through a comparative descriptive analysis by using Halfeti, as the base, being the recent Cittaslow in Turkey as of August 2014.

Key Words: Cittaslow Philosophy, Sustainable Tourism Development (STD), Balıkesir, Ayvalık.

JEL Classification: Q01, L83.

1. Introduction

Obsolescence and depreciation of historic heritage, destruction of natural resources/splendour, and degeneration in socio-cultural values have compelled individuals, institutions, and societies all over the world to take some counter measures. In this context, initiatives are launched and various organizations formed. Of such movements, none are independent of sustainable development and, in this context, of sustainable tourism development.

As one of these initiatives, Cittaslow was conceived as a movement to prevent or slow the negative effects of the processes of modernisation such as loss of historic heritage, swift consumption of natural resources and a decrease in renewal capacity, oblivion and/or neglect of socio-cultural values and, in this context, traditions. When considering this side of the coin, Cittaslow, consisting of an Italian word ‘citta’ and an English word ‘slow’, meaning ‘slow city’, can be assessed as a philosophy.

This philosophy, aiming at constituting places which are at peace with their history, nature, and socio-cultural values, is directly related to STD because of such features. In fact, all cities which adopt and practise this philosophy are simultaneously implementing STD.

Material and method

The main assertion of the paper is that STD would be realised more systematically and rapidly if the Cittaslow philosophy could be spread around the world. Proposal of the paper is that some Cittaslow candidate cities in Turkey are expected to have the potential to execute STD at institutional level when transitioning to Cittaslows. Here the case of Ayvalık is studied by taking into account the recent Cittaslow in Turkey, Halfeti, as a base city to make related comparisons. Methodology of the paper is as follows: First, an extensive data have been collected through e-mail surveys and the Cittaslow capacities of Halfeti and Ayvalık revealed. Then, a comparative descriptive analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of these cities has been conducted.

The paper consists of three sections: The first consists of conceptual framework on sustainable development and Cittaslow philosophy. The second section includes some information concerning Cittaslow practices in the world and Turkey. In the last, Cittaslow candidateship of Ayvalık is assessed through the extensive data collection and a comparative descriptive analysis by using the city of Halfeti as the base.

2. Sustainable Tourism Development and Cittaslow Philosophy

2.1. Sustainable Tourism Development

Rempel (2009, 76) states that the notion ‘sustainable development’, having been the subject of negotiation starting from its first appearance in print with the publication of ‘Our Common Future’ (also known as the Bruntland Report, UN, 1987), involves the integration of various impacts. In this context, he says that the concept of sustainable development, as applied to tourism, is about an evolving understanding of the complex and dynamic relationships between various parts of the social-ecological system. Bramwell and Lane (1993) [quoted in Mycoo (2006, 490)] similarly say that sustainable tourism is a positive approach aimed at reducing the tensions caused by the complex interaction of the tourism industry; tourists, the environment, and the hosts catering for holidaymakers.

Lerner and Haber (2000) [quoted in Ayaş (2007, 64)] list tourism resources, with respect to their chronological order of rise to prominence, into two main parts. One: Natural Tourism Resources: climate, land structure and shape, plant cover, natural monuments, hot springs, curative water, beaches, natural splendour, geological formations, drinkable water resources, and animal species. Two: Developed Tourism Resources: qualified labour, information sources, transportation, sewerage and waste water, electricity, and communication systems, infrastructure and superstructure e.g. airport, resort, hotel, motel, restaurant, shopping centre, recreational area, aqua park, and museum. Sustainable tourism requires the preservation of the first resources and, taking sustainability into consideration, the development of the second. In this context, the sustainability of natural resources must be paramount during execution of touristic activities, and developed tourism resources should be compatible with the sustainability of human, flora, and fauna systems.

In a further version of tourism resources, Welford and Ytterhus (2004, 412) state that the product/service packaged and sold by the tourism sector depends on the availability of clean seas, unspoiled mountains, unpolluted water, clean streets, well preserved buildings and archaeological sites, and different cultural traditions. Jiang (2009, 118), on the other hand, includes people in his approach and says that a sub-system within the environment is formed by the population in touristic areas. This sub-system is the ecological basis that supports human development and eliminates general environmental impacts. He states that this system allocates and consumes the resources and ecological services of the environment to sustain life and develop society.

For Sezgin and Kalaman (2008, 436), sustainable tourism is a managerial process essentially related to the environment, and this management must be tailored to meet the needs of both hosts and holidaymakers for cultural integrity, ecology, biological diversity, and vital functions. Hawkins (1994) [quoted in Welford and Ytterhus (2004, 415)] also emphasizes the managerial side of sustainable tourism and makes some concrete proposals accordingly. In this context, he describes the starting point for environmental management as the development of programmes for: efficient use of energy; minimisation of waste from facilities by requiring suppliers to reduce packaging, implementing programmes to reuse products, composting biodegradable wastes, and recycling of non-avoidable wastes; minimising water use by installing water saving technology and reusing water for secondary activities such as watering gardens; and efficient disposal of waste. All these programmes are directly related to tourism development as their execution is oriented towards the sustainability of touristic activities.

In addition to such concrete proposals, a broader approach to sustainable tourism belongs to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a global authority in sustainable tourism theory and practice. The UNWTO (2013) defines sustainable tourism simply, as: 'Tourism that takes full account of its current and future environmental, economic, and socio-cultural impacts, addressing the needs of tourists, the industry, the environment, and host communities'. In this context UNWTO makes further concrete proposals stating that sustainable tourism should: make optimal use of environmental resources, and thus, must maintain essential ecological processes and help to conserve natural heritage and biodiversity; respect the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, conserve their built and living cultural heritage/traditional values; ensure viable, long-term economic operations providing socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders in the context of a fair distribution of stable employment, income-earning opportunities, social services to host communities; provide means for the wide participation of all relevant stakeholders as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building; maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience for tourists; raise the awareness of tourists about sustainability issues and promote sustainable tourism practices amongst them.

2.2. Cittaslow Philosophy

As an initiative, Cittaslow, launched in 1999 by Paolo Saturnini, mayor of Greve in Chianti in Toscana region in Italy, it introduces some standards and action plans to constitute tranquil and peaceful cities and leads the cities to put them into effect. Cittaslow, in this context, as a movement aiming at the development of a city in a different style by improving life quality has been supported by some other mayors in Italy and started its activities through contribution of Slow Food Organization.

As a global, non-profit member-supported association founded in 1989 with supporters in 160 countries around the world as of midst of 2014 which are linking the pleasure of good food with a commitment to their community and the environment, Slow Food counters the rise of fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how their food choices affect the rest of the world. Slow Food states its mission as “promoting good, clean, and fair food for all”. The Association expresses its philosophy as below:

“We believe that everyone has a fundamental right to the pleasure of good food and consequently the responsibility to protect the heritage of food, tradition, and culture that make this pleasure possible”.

One of the main aims of Cittaslow is to disperse the philosophy of Slow Food to local communities and also to their administrations and thus to provide the implementation of the concept ‘Ecogastronomy’ in daily life (Ecogastronomy Initiative, 2014). The cities who take part in Cittaslow movement endeavours to effectuate the following main principles: They mind public health, in this context, they care for procurement of healthy products and food; They encourage traditional handicrafts and valuable craft studies; They mind the structure of the city. In this context, they construct squares, theatres, shopping centers, coffee houses, and restaurants without harming the structure of the city; They are respectful to traditions which provides a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

2.3. Requirements for a Cittaslow in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development

There are a lot of requirements to become a Cittaslow and such requirements are updated in time. Here, the requirements stated in the Association’s charter shall be taken into account. These are 59 items classified under 6 major subjects as given in Table 1 (Cittaslow Association, 2014-b).

Table 1: Major Requirements for Cittaslow Membership in terms of STD

Major Subject	Requirement
I-Environmental Policies	1. Verification of the quality of air, water, and soil under the parameters established by law, 2. Existing purification facilities for urban or collective sewage, 3. Preparation of projects that stimulate the collection of urban and private wastes by decomposing them, 4. Encouraging the recycling/safe disposal of industrial waste and the composting of household waste, 5. Preparation of a municipal plan for saving energy, with particular reference to the use of alternative sources of energy (renewable resources, green hydrogen, mini-hydroelectric power plant), 6. Banning the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) in agriculture, 7. Establishing systems for controlling and reducing electromagnetic, noise, and light pollution, 8. Adoption of environmental management systems (EMAS and ECOLABEL or ISO 9001; ISO 14000, SA 8000 etc.).
II-Safeguarding Autochthonous Production	1. Promoting organic and/or locally planted products, 2. Determining local products and supporting them for their commercial value e.g. alloting them spaces in the bazaars, 3. Preserving and encouraging cultural traditions, 4. Preparing relevant planning and certification programmes for saving tradesmen, craftsmen, and working methods/products which are in danger of dying out.
III-Infrastructural Policies	1. Preparation of plans for developing and improving historic centres and/or works of cultural and historic value, 2. Making plans for safe transportation and traffic, 3. Promotion of programmes to facilitate family life and local activities, 4. Applying programmes for redevelopment and improvement of urban life, 5. Preparation of plans for the distribution of merchandise and the construction of commercial centres for natural products.
IV-Technologies and Facilities for Urban Quality	1. Providing wastebins consistent with environmental requirements and removal of rubbish in accordance with an announced timetable, 2. Arranging programmes and promotional activities for planting environmentally suitable plants, preferably local ones, 3. Making plans to brighten up the urban landscape e.g. flowers in house, window boxes, and gardens; hanging baskets and green spaces in public places; and clean, fresh paintwork on buildings.
V-Hospitality	1. Carrying out training courses on the provision of tourist information and quality hospitality, 2. Using international signs on signboards at historic places, 3. Arranging the ‘slow’ routes of the city.
VI-Awareness	1. Informing people about the aims and procedures of Cittaslow and how to become such a city, 2. Preparation of programmes to attract social interest in acquiring the ‘slow’ philosophy, and the application of Cittaslow projects such as educational gardens, parks, and libraries, 3. Preparation of training programmes in schools on taste and nutrition in collaboration with the Slow Food Initiative.

Source: Cittaslow Association (2014-b), “Charter”, http://www.cittaslow.org/section/association/charter, (06.06.2014).

As can be seen from Table 1, almost all requirements are related to STD. It can, therefore, be asserted that the Cittaslow philosophy contributes directly to STD if implemented correctly.

3. Cittaslow Philosophy in the World and Turkey

3.1. Cittaslow International

As of August 2014, number of Cittaslow members is 189 cities, 74 of which is in Italy, in 29 countries. The names are as follows alphabetically (Cittaslow Association, 2014-c): Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, England, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Turkey, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and the USA.

Cittaslow Movement having a Scientific Committee including scientists from different countries assesses a city which applies for being a Cittaslow in accordance with the determined criteria and accepts it as a member if meets the requirements. Cittaslow does not interest only in the concept ‘Slow City’ but also studies on related projects such as climate change, environmental sustainability, sustainable eco-systems, economic performance and social development, and sustainable energy (Cittaslow Association, 2014-a).

3.2. Cittaslow in Turkey

The first Cittaslow member in Turkey was Seferihisar of İzmir in western Anatolia which describes itself as ‘The Cittaslow Capital of Turkey’. The cities in Turkey that have received Cittaslow membership as of August 2014 are as follows:

1. Perşembe (Ordu; Central Black Sea Region)

2. Taraklı (Sakarya; Marmara Region)

3. Vize (Kırklareli; Marmara Region)

4. Gökçeada (Çanakkale; Marmara Region)

5. Seferihisar (İzmir, Aegegan Region)

6. Yenipazar (Aydın; Agean Region)

7. Akyaka (Muğla; Aegean Region)

8. Yalvaç (Isparta; Western Mediterranean Region)

9. Halfeti (Urfa, South-East Anatolia Region).

These cities are marked on the map of Turkey, Figure 1.

Figure 1: Cittaslows in Turkey (August 2014)

New candidates are going through the necessary procedures for membership. However, as will be seen, current Cittaslow members are mostly in the western regions of Turkey and no member or candidate city, with the exceptions of Perşembe of Ordu in the Central Black Sea Region and Halfeti of Urfa in the South-East Anatolia Region, is situated in the central or eastern regions of the country.

3.3. Halfeti as the Recent Cittaslow and Ayvalık as a Potential Cittaslow Candidate in Turkey

To be named a Cittaslow, the criteria whose detailed information in terms of its sub-elements have been given under the previous title are required for a city. In this context, to summarise, the following main policies should be implemented in a candidate city:

a) Some environmental policies should be implemented,

b) Some infrastructure policies should be implemented,

c) Certain level of technologies and facilities for urban quality should be obtained,

d) Local production should be preserved.

e) Hospitality should be kept in the center of public/private administrative/commercial services.

It is obvious that for a city to be named a Cittaslow, drastic changes should be realised. Moreover, sustainability of the changes is also very important. In this context, implementation and sustainability of a Cittaslow Project is not only the responsibility of the administrators of that location but also of the whole persons and institutions living there.

It should be noted that considering the requirements of Cittaslow philosophy contains some challenges, the following main criteria have been taken into account when selecting the candidate cities:

1. Historical Background: A candidate city is supposed to be a historical one,

2. Natural Structure: A candidate city is supposed to have natural sources and beauties,

3. Socio-Cultural Features: A candidate city is supposed to have various traditional values and heritages,

4. Tourism Structure: A candidate city is supposed to have a touristic potential.

Essentially, these criteria are not very much different from those determined by the Cittaslow Initiative, being regarded as a compressed version of them which are also available in Table 2.

Table 2: Compressed Version of Requirements to Becoming a Cittaslow

Criteria	Explanation
History	· Info on the history · Ruling civilizations
Natural Structure	· Climate · Info on flora and fauna · Natural splendour
Socio-Cultural Features	· Major traditional handicrafts · Local traditional foods/drinks · Info on maintenance of local traditional foods/drinks
Tourism Capacity	· Major historic buildings · Potential touristic activities · Info on accomodation facilities with bedspaces

Here, Ayvalık is offered as a potential Cittaslow candidate. For this purpose, candidateship of Ayvalık is offered under these four main criteria, namely: historic structures, natural resources, socio-cultural values, and touristic capacities. In this context, and with particular importance being given to these four major criteria, extensive data on Ayvalık is presented in a table and its Cittaslow capacity revealed. However, for making comparison, first of all, the same table is prepared for the recent Cittaslow of Turkey, Halfeti.

Halfeti, a town of Urfa, was the recent Cittaslow in Turkey. This historic and touristic city accommodates 38,737 people as of 2013 (ADNKS, 2014).

Table 3: Halfeti as the Recent Cittaslow in Turkey

Criteria	Explanation
History	· Its past goes back as far as 2,000 B.C. · Ruling civilisations: Hittits, Assyrians, Babylon, Meds, Persians, Macedonians, Seleucuses, Osrhoenes, Romans, Byzantines, Sasanids, Omayads, Abbasids, Seljuks, Ayyoubis, Mongols, Mamlouks, and Ottomans.
Natural Structure	· It is a micro climate region due to Euphrates and shows a typical feature of Mediterranean climate. · Euphrates coast is like a green line. · There are endemic plants (i.e. black rose) and bugs. · More than half of the arable land is covered by pistachio, wineyard, and olive trees.
Socio-Cultural Features	· Different ethnic groups have been living together from long past. · Major traditional handicrafts: cold ironworking, carpentry, shoemaking, and the production of various hand-made giftwares. · Local traditional foods/drinks: Zahter Suyu, Şabut Balığı Kebabı, Sacda Patlıcan Kebabı, Domatesli Kebap, Urfa Kebap, Soğanlı Kebap, Çağırtlak Kebabı, Patlıcan Aşı, Dolma Eziği, Etli Bulgur Pilavı, Erik Tavası, İncir Kebabı, Mukaşşerli Pilav, Sarığı Burma Tatlısı, Peynir Helvası, Kebat Reçeli, and Semsek.
Tourism Capacity	· Major historic buildings: Rum Castle, Kanterma Mezrası Khan, Aziz Nerses Church, Barşavma Monastery, Norhut Church, cisterns, wells and several other historic heritages left under the water of Birecik Dam. · New Halfeti (40 percent of total area) is settled in an area called ‘Karaotlak’ and old Halfeti left under water (60 percent of total area) is being transformed into a touristic area. · Potential touristic activities: water skiing, diving, ATV motor safari, boat tour, bird observation, and trekking. · There are four accomodation facilities with 80 bedspaces.

Sources:

· Municipality of Halfeti (2014), “Halfeti”, http://www.halfetibelediyesi.com, (07.07.2014).

· District Governorship of Halfeti (2014), “Halfeti”, http://www.halfeti.gov.tr, (07.07.2014).

Ayvalık, a town of Balıkesir, lies on the coast of Aegean Sea and is one of the major touristic cities in Turkey. It has a population of 64,462 as of 2013 (ADNKS, 2014).

Table 4: Ayvalık as a Cittaslow Candidate

Criteria	Explanation
History	· According to some reports its past goes back to 330 B.C. · Ruling civilisations: Hellens, Romans, Karesioğuls, and Ottomans.
Natural Structure	· It has a moderate coastal climate. · It has winds called ‘İmbat’ full of iodine and odor of pine tree. · According to a research, there are 752 kinds of plants. There are also 4 endemic plants. · There are around 2.5 million olive trees. · It has more than 100 km coast line. · It has very colorful coral reefs and very clear sea water ideal for underwater photography. · It has 24 small islands suitable for scuba diving. · It has 1,868 Cultural and Natural Heritages under protection. · There is ‘Ayvalık Islands Natural Park’ on 17,950 hectare area. · ‘Şeytan Sofrası’ is one of the major splendours where one can observe a very fascinating sunset.
Socio-Cultural Features	· Major traditional handicrafts: wood engraving, wood painting, and the production of various hand-made giftwares. · Production of olive, olive oil, and olive soap are among the major economic activities. · Local traditional foods/drinks: Papalina, Zeytinyağlı Ot Yemekleri, seafood.
Tourism Capacity	· Inventory of historic buildings: six mosques, six churches, and two monasteries. · Major historic buildings: Hamidiye Mosque, Taksiyarhis Church, Saatli Mosque, Çınarlı Mosque, Aya Nikola Church, Ayışığı Monastery, Leka Monastery, and Old Ayvalık Houses. · The old city was settled in amphitheater shape where old Ayvalık houses neighbor on narrow streets. · Potential touristic activities: yatching, scuba diving, underwater photography. · There are around 60 scuba diving areas. · Training programmes for scuba diving are available. · There are 232 accomodation facilities with 17,000 bedspaces.

Sources:

· Municipality of Ayvalık (2014), “Ayvalık”, http://www.ayvalik.bel.tr, (07.07.2014).

· District Governorship of Ayvalık (2014), “Ayvalık”, http://www.ayvalik.gov.tr, (07.07.2014).

These information show that Ayvalık has the potential of Cittaslow candidateship. For confirming this assertion, additional information provided from mayors/governors of Halfeti and Ayvalık are given in Table 5. As will be seen, such data also indicate the quality of life in a city and the level of welfare of the residents. They also provide significant criteria with which to gauge the situation of a sample of current Cittaslow in Turkey, Halfeti, by revealing potential barriers to Cittaslow membership; and assessing the appropriateness or unsuitability for candidateship of selected city in Turkey, Ayvalık.

Table 5: Additional Information on Halfeti and Ayvalık (August 2014)

	Halfeti	Ayvalık
I-General Information
· Length of roads (km)	216	350
· Length of pedestrian footpaths (km)	4	6
· Length of pedestrian footpaths/Length of roads (%)	1.8	1.7
· Number of vehicles	500	24,948
· Traffic congestion (yes/no)	No	Yes
II-Market Structure
· Any market for specifically local products? (yes/no)	Yes	Yes
· Number of street markets for local/general products	3	5
· Number of street markets per week for local/general products	3	1
III-Local Foods/Drinks
· How are the local traditional foods/drinks maintained?	Local traditional foods/drinks are prepared in private houses and served in some restaurants. They are also preferred at wedding ceremonies and funerals.

These information also indicate that Ayvalık is a potential Cittaslow candidate. For the appropriateness of Ayvalık to be Cittaslow, a comparative descriptive analysis is also made in the following chapter.

4. A Comparative Descriptive Analysis for Cittaslows in Turkey; the Cases of Halfeti and Ayvalık

4.1. Methodology of the Research

In this study, a comparative descriptive analysis is made. Thus, in consideration of the requirements to become a Cittaslow, an indices table has been prepared by which Halfeti and Ayvalık are assessed. The purposes of the indexing are:

· to check the situation of Halfeti in order to make comparisons,

· to reveal the barriers to Cittaslow membership,

· and to assess the appropriateness or unsuitability for candidateship of Ayvalık.

For collection of information on Halfeti and Ayvalık, their mayors/governors were contacted via an e-mail survey and asked to answer 26 questions under six main subject headings. The scores are available in Table 6 for index calculation and the results are available in Table 7 for equal weights.

Table 6: Scores for Current (Halfeti) and Potential Candidate Cittaslow (Ayvalık) in Turkey in terms of Cittaslow Requirements – August 2014

Major Subject	Halfeti	Ayvalık
I-Environmental Policies
I-1	0	1
I-2	0	1
I-3	0	0
I-4	0	0
I-5	0	0
I-6	1	1
I-7	0	0
I-8	1	0
II-Safeguarding Autochthonous Production
II-1	1	1
II-2	1	1
II-3	1	1
II-4	1	1
III-Infrastructural Policies
III-1	1	1
III-2	0	1
III-3	1	1
III-4	1	1
III-5	1	0
IV-Technologies and Facilities for Urban Quality
IV-1	1	1
IV-2	1	1
IV-3	0	0
V-Hospitality
V-1	1	0
V-2	1	1
V-3	1	1
VI-Awareness
VI-1	1	0
VI-2	1	0
VI-3	1	0

A score of ‘one’ means ‘yes/available/implemented’ in terms of Cittaslow requirements, while a score of ‘zero’ means ‘no/unavailable/not implemented’ as available in Table 6. Considering these scores in the comparative descriptive analysis, the indices were calculated by using equal weights for each question which are given in Table 7.

Table 7: Index Calculation and Equal Weights for Halfeti and Ayvalık in terms of Cittaslow Requirements

Major Subject	Halfeti	Ayvalık
I-Environmental Policies	0.25	0.38
II-Safeguarding Autochthonous Production	1.00	1.00
III-Infrastructural Policies	0.80	0.80
IV-Technologies and Facilities for Urban Quality	0.67	0.67
V-Hospitality	1.00	0.67
VI-Awareness	1.00	0.00
Equal Weights	0.79	0.58

As available in Table 7, an index score of ‘one’ represents full compatibility with Cittaslow requirements, while a score of ‘zero’ represents no compatibility with both each major subject and equal weights.

4.2. Results of the Research

In this descriptive analysis, it is ascertained that rankings for both cities are as expected and are compatible with the assertion of the paper.

Equal weight (79 percent) for Halfeti shows the expected ranking. As this city is already Cittaslow it has the highest score. However, it can be seen that this city could not get the full score (100 percent), which means that a candidate city does not, in fact, have to meet the full requirements at the time of membership acceptance, but endeavours to complete them in time.

Ranking for Ayvalık is also as expected. The score for Ayvalık is 58 percent and this shows that it is a potential Cittaslow candidate. However, Ayvalık can not offer itself as a Cittaslow candidate as it fails to meet the population criterion of the Cittaslow Initiative which is restricted up to 50,000 residents. Clearly the population criterion hinders the execution of STD on a wider scale.

5. Conclusion

Mankind causes a lot of problems such as socio-cultural and environmental ones. Essentially Cittaslow becomes a means which solve these problems systematically. For instance, from the environmental aspect, as one of the base factors of Cittaslow philosophy, a city is supposed to implement STD following the receipt of Cittaslow membership. When also the Cittaslow requirements are examined, it is seen that the model essentially aims at a sustainable development inclusive of human being, flora, and fauna. Therefore, it becomes more possible for a Cittaslow candidate to realise STD with condition that it has required infrustructure and superstructure.

Through extensive data collected and comparative descriptive analysis established in this paper, Ayvalık is considered to have potential Cittaslow candidateship, however, population criterion hinders it from being Cittaslow. If there were no such impediment this city could then be required to implement the Cittaslow philosophy.

As, by ignoring this criterion, other factors: an established historic background, natural resources, socio-cultural features, and touristic capacity are available for Ayvalık, it could be accepted as a candidate. Therefore, above mentioned requirements could be considered sufficient at the first stage, following which it could be expected to complete the determined requirements by the Cittaslow Initiative.

Therefore, in the medium to long term, neighbouring cities would also be encouraged to become Cittaslow candidates and it would be easier to increase the number of Cittaslows and execute STD systematically and rapidly both in Turkey and in the world. It would then be possible to obtain a collective STD on a global scale.

* Assist. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Behzat Ekinci

Economics, FEAS, Mardin Artuklu University.

mbekinci(at)akademiktisat.net

http://www.akademiktisat.net

** “Sustainable Tourism Development in Halfeti and Ayvalık as the Recent and Potential Cittaslows”, 9th International Conference: New Perspectives in Tourism and Hospitality, Proceedings, Burhaniye-Balıkesir, Turkey, 25-27 September 2014, 219-233.

*** Prepared based on “Ekinci, Mehmet Behzat (2014), The Cittaslow Philosophy in the Context of Sustainable Tourism Development; The Case of Turkey, Tourism Management, 41:178-189 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2013.08.013).

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