Tourism in Mediterranean Countries—From Past to Future
Volkan Zoğal, Füsun BaykalEurope has been the most important center of international tourism from the past to the present. The continent’s Mediterranean coastal countries, in particular, owe their present level of tourism to their historical depth, natural and cultural attractions, and geographical location. In addition, qualified services, effective promotion, correct marketing, and high demand are also important factors. In this study, we discuss tourist mobility in the Mediterranean in both historical and spatial terms to examine the reasons for the importance of the Mediterranean in world tourism and compare current results across countries. The research approach and methods comprise a thematic review and comparison using qualitative and quantitative data. The findings clearly indicate that tourist activities in Mediterranean countries have changed over the centuries. Cultural tourism was the preferred activity in the past, but today’s customers are mostly sea-sand-sun seekers. However, social change and technological developments have altered tourists’ expectations and revealed new types of tourism. As a result, although the future of international tourism in Mediterranean countries seems to be shaped by internal factors, it could be argued that external factors such as global climate change, epidemics, international migration policies, terrorism, and technological developments may be stronger determinants.
Geçmişten Geleceğe Akdeniz Ülkelerinde Turizm
Volkan Zoğal, Füsun BaykalUluslararası turizm hareketlerinde geçmişten bugüne en önemli merkez Avrupa Kıtası olmuştur. Kıtanın Akdeniz kıyı ülkeleri ise turizmdeki bugünkü gelişmişlik düzeyini ve dünyada söz sahibi oluşunu, başta coğrafi konum olmak üzere tarihsel derinlik, doğal ve kültürel çekiciliklere borçludur. Ayrıca nitelikli hizmet, etkili tanıtım, doğru pazarlama ve yüksek talep de önemli birer faktördür. Bu çalışma, Akdeniz’de turist hareketliliğini hem tarihsel süreçte hem de mekânsal düzlemde ele almaktadır. Amaç, Akdeniz’in dünya turizminde yüzyıllardır eskimeyen öneminin nedenlerine inmek ve günümüzdeki sonuçlarını ülkeler bazında karşılaştırmaktır. Araştırmanın yaklaşımı ve yöntemi, nitel ve nicel veriler kullanarak hem bir tematik derleme hem de karşılaştırmalar yoluyla ilişkisel analiz yapmaya dayalıdır. Bulgularda Akdeniz turizminde geçmiş yüzyıllarda turist hareketliliğindeki dinamikler ile bugünün turistini çeken faktörlerin aynı olmadığı ortaya çıkmıştır. Geçmişte kültür turistlerinin ilgisi söz konusuyken, bugünün müşterileri ise çoğunlukla deniz-kumgüneş turistleridir. Ancak güncel toplumsal olaylar ve teknolojik gelişmeler, turistlerin beklentilerini de hızla değiştirmekte ve yeni turizm türlerini ortaya çıkarmaktadır. Sonuç olarak Akdeniz Havzası’nın uluslararası turizmdeki geleceği, iç faktörlerin baskısıyla şekillenecek gibi görünüyorsa da dış faktörlerin (küresel iklim değişikliği, salgın hastalıklar, uluslararası göçler, politikalar, terörizm, teknolojik gelişimler gibi) daha güçlü bir belirleyici ve yönlendirici olabileceği ileri sürülebilir.
The Mediterranean Basin is one of the oldest settlements and prominent centers of world civilization and is also a region where tourism emerged and developed. Although not exactly matching today’s tourist phenomena, the region has been at the center of the first tourist movements since prehistoric times and remains the world’s largest tourist destination today. This study evaluates the movement of tourists in Mediterranean countries to explain their causes and make predictions for the future. The research approach and method comprise a thematic review and comparison using qualitative and quantitative data. The article begins by charting the development of tourism from antiquity to the medieval period, then from the Renaissance to the end of the industrial revolution, before examining the twentieth century. Fundamental questions such as where, why, and how are answered using a geographical approach.
Tourism-related developments in the region are divided into certain periods based on the turning points of history. The trips attended by the ancient Greeks and the noble and wealthy Romans for culture, art, religion, sports, and entertainment were the first forms of tourism. During the first half of the Middle Ages, religious movements made visits to sacred cities in the Mediterranean and made their mark on tourism. During the Renaissance, travels were made for trade, entertainment, and exploration. The Grand Tour, performed by princes, nobles, diplomats, artists, students, and scientists in the 16th and 18th centuries, was the earliest form of modern tourism. Paris, Marseille, Nice, Geneva, Turin, Genoa, Rome, Naples, Florence, and Venice were the main destinations of this tour. Toward the end of the 18th century, resorts and spa towns (such as Nice and Côte d’Azur) began to be established; however, travel for tourist purposes was largely an activity of the wealthy and educated minority class. The industrial revolution and the construction of railways during the 19th century completely changed the direction of tourism and travel in Europe and the Mediterranean. The romance of the Eastern Mediterranean aroused great curiosity in the coastal countries during this century. The Eastern Express train journey began in Paris and was an important driving force of the flow of tourists between west and east. During this century, it also became fashionable to spend the winter months in Italy, Sicily, and Corsica. The period from the first quarter of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of modern tourism. During this period, tourism evolved into a large economic sector with its own infrastructure, and the most striking developments were witnessed in the Mediterranean. After the 1960s, tourism grew massively, and France, Spain, and Italy became the stars of Mediterranean mass tourism.
The Mediterranean Basin is the center of international tourism today, as it was in the past. France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey are the foremost visited countries followed by Greece, Croatia, Morocco, and Egypt. Today, unique attractions are no longer enough. Tourists’ expectations and holiday requirements have changed enormously. Service quality, security, and originality have become the most prominent factors affecting each country’s competitiveness. Generally, economic and political factors control them all. During the first quarter of the 21st century, developments in information and communication technologies led to a new breaking point in the history of tourism and accelerated the transition to the postmodern tourism era. The foundation of this new era was inlaid with internet technology. The rapid rise of sharing economy platforms has deeply affected the traditional structure of tourism and Mediterranean countries have been the most affected by this new phenomenon. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic began in December 2019 and spread worldwide in a short time bringing tourists’ movements to a halt. The pandemic has deeply affected all countries in the region, especially Italy, Spain, France, and Turkey. This unexpected disaster frustrated all the plans and predictions about the future of tourism. In the coming years, it is expected that economic crises, global climate change, environmental pollution, and technological innovations will continue to affect the development of tourism. Due to its geographical and geopolitical location, the Mediterranean Basin will remain one of the regions most positively and negatively affected by these international developments.
