VISITORS SATISFACTION, PERCEPTIONS: THE CASE OF HATILA VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

The National Park of Hatila Valley is one of the 40 protected areas of Turkey. It is of major ecological value, due to the existence of a large number of plant variety and biodiversity. Today, the protection status of the area does not exclude the continuation of human activities, particularly in relation to outdoor recreation activities. The present study was conducted with the use of a specially developed questionnaire, in order to examine visitors' satisfaction, regarding various factors, such as the region's natural characteristics, the level of service and the adequacy of the accommodation facilities for visitors. The main objective of this paper is to examine the level of visitors' satisfaction regarding the National Park of Hatila Valley area, in order to improve the efficacy of its management, particularly regarding the perceptions about the natural characteristics of the region, and the service and adequacy of the accommodation facilities offered to visitors. The measurement of service quality through visitor/customer satisfaction survey may be considered as the most reliable information for the performance evaluation of any organization. Thereby, it is possible to analyze consumer behavior and determine future improvement actions and programs based on the voice of the visitor/customer. The emerging results focus on identifying the factors affecting visitors' satisfaction level, as well as the critical points that the management authority of the National Park must concentrate its improvement actions.