Hotels as a Model of Regional Life: The Erzurum Sample

Few studies have been undertaken about geographical distributions of hotels. These studies mostly have been done in cities which attract tourists and have a tradition of tourism in order to clarify the factors which affect distribution of hotels. The purpose of this paper is to identify geographical distribution of hotels in the city of Erzurum in eastern Turkey, which does not have tourism as one of the traditional industries. Since hotels serve those who come from outside of the city and mostly from its surrounding regions, the city needs to be considered with its regions. As a result, in the same context hotels, bus-stations and coffee-houses come into the picture in order to serve for incomers. As a result of this, it appears that hotels-bus-stations-coffee-houses cooperate or create synergy. This synergy may be related with the offered service of the city to the surrounding or it may be due to the city's historical growth. All these relations can be explained with the “regional life model”. Regional life areas are those places in which all roads coming from outside end. In addition, such places serve those people coming to the city in order to meet different needs.     

The Langkawi Global Geopark: local community’s perspectives on public education

The study reported in this paper represents one of the first attempts at exploring the perspectives of the local communities on the designation of Langkawi Island in Malaysia as a UNESCO Global Geopark. It is premised on the widely acknowledged assertion that the local communities constitute an important group of stakeholders in the planning and implementation of development activities. Hence, the communities living in the geopark areas in Langkawi are considered important stakeholders who play a crucial role in the development of heritage tourism in Langkawi Global Geopark. This paper examines their views on their appreciation of the geopark as heritage, the interpretation of their shared values, the benefits and opportunities afforded by the geopark, and the extent of their involvement in the implementation of geopark activities. The findings point to the need for more support for public education programmes, and awareness initiatives aimed not only at ensuring community engagement with the development of Langkawi Geopark but also at generating stewardship actions from the community.