Analysis of Factors Affecting Travel Costs in Beysehir Lake National Park

National parks are used for recreational and tourism purposes with their natural, cultural and historical values. Turkey's second largest national park, the Beysehir Lake National Park is one of the places visited by many people with different wealth. When national parks are used for recreation and tourism, they bring a cost to the users. Travel carries a complementary quality for a recreational activity, because it is necessary to travel to these areas for realization of these activities. In this context, the travel cost of Beysehir Lake National Park and the factors affecting it were examined in this study. The average travel cost for various recreation places in the Beysehir Lake National Park was calculated as 252.97 TL and the per capita travel cost was calculated as 74.93 TL. In order to examine the factors affecting travel costs, travel costs of visitors were analyzed using a semi-logarithmic regression model. The dependent variable consists of the sum of the expenses made during the travel, and variables such as age, education, marital status, income, arrival frequency, arrival purpose and arrival distance were taken as factors affecting travel costs. There is a positive relationship between the factors of income, education, marital status being "married", having been to the park more than once, the distance to the park, the main purpose of visiting the park and the time spent in the park and the travel cost. A negative relationship was found between the age, the frequency of coming to the park and the factors of having access to the park by personal vehicle and the travel cost. Addressing these factors in travel cost analysis will be beneficial in the economic evaluation of the areas used for recreation. National parks, which are an important natural resource of a country, should be economically evaluated and contribute to the national income. For this purpose, activities should be carried out in order to make sustainable the national park in terms of tourism activities by protecting nature. Programs should be planned by the relevant units, taking into account the factors affecting the travel cost determined in this study.