Stakeholder interviews and tourism planning at Pamukkale, Turkey

This study examines the use of interviews to identify stakeholders' Views o n the implementation of proposals contained in a tourism and conservation p lan. The authors conducted interviews with stakeholders representing intere sts affected by the implementation of the Preservation and Development Plan for Pamukkale, a World Heritage Site in Turkey. The site contains dramatic travertine terraces and also ancient city ruins, with both threatened by t ourism Analysis of the interviews identified broad social representations a nd more specific views concerning the planning issues. Consideration is giv en to the value of stakeholder interviews for a continuous planning process , including for monitoring views on tourism and conservation issues, plan p roposals and on progress in plan implementation. The findings could be of c onsiderable help to Pamukkale's planning authorities, although such stakeho lder views may be ignored in the institutional context of Turkey's centrali sed planning system. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.