Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Tourist Destination, cilt.3, sa.2, ss.67-85, 2025 (Hakemli Dergi)
The purpose of this study is to examine the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic perceptions of the local population living in the provinces of Rize and Trabzon in the Eastern Black Sea Region regarding sustainable tourism development within the framework of stakeholder theory and to reveal whether these perceptions differ according to demographic variables. A quantitative research design was adopted in the study; data were obtained from 360 participants reached through convenience sampling via a questionnaire prepared using a 5-point Likert scale. The construct validity of the scale was tested using exploratory factor analysis, and its reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. in addition to descriptive statistics, independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance (AN OVA) were used in the analysis of the data. The research fındings show that the local community's perceptions of the economic effects of tourism are highly positive, while they exhibit a more cautious attitude regarding environmental and sociocultural effects. Furthermore, it was determined that perceptions of economic sustainability signifıcantly strengthened with increasing education level and income; age, marital status, and monthly income variables created signifıcant differences in some sustainability dimensions. in contrast, no signifıcant differences in perceptions were found based on gender, income from tourism, and place of residence variables. The research highlights the decisive role of local community perceptions in the success of sustainable tourism policies; it contributes to the development of region-specifıc governance and planning strategies aimed at strengthening local participation within the stakeholder theory framework.