THE EVALUATION OF ISTANBUL NATIONAL PALACES IN THE FRAME OF SUSTAINABLE CULTURAL TOURISM

Cultural tourism indicates travel for cultural environment sightseeing including landscapes, the visual and performing arts, and unique (local) lifestyles, values, customs, incidents in addition to other means of creative and inter-cultural exchange processes. The significance of cultural tourism is based on several reasons; having positive economic and social effects generating and strengthening identity and aiding to built an image and protection of the cultural and historical heritage. Besides, it helps the establishment of harmony and understanding among people by using culture as an instrument, reinforcing culture and helps the renewal of tourism. Cultural tourism is a tool in a way in the protection of the cultural and historical heritage. Tourism offers ways to sustain the customs and provides finances for the preservation of heritage and improve visitor appreciation therefore contributes greatly to culture and historical heritage. Sustainability is the entire activities carried out to preserve natural resources as fulfilling the needs of today as well as leaving a sound environment for the future generations. Therefore, tourism and sustainability interact with each other in the preservation of cultural environment. Historical palace gardens, reflecting cultural features of civilization that they belong to, also give information about the life styles of the people living in those sites, cultural values and building techniques of the period. Garden culture, based on human-nature relationships, has been modified and improved by geographic, historical, socio-economical, cultural and living conditions of the era. Palaces served as living sites of state administration and sultans and have become structures to reflect the art and architectural context of a civilization due to its specific structures. Historical and cultural properties are touristic attraction sources for all nations. Cultural values vital for tourism activities. Furthermore, they play a critical role for destination selections of the tourists to spend their holiday. In this context, cultural heritage is the main sources of tourism, which is one of the most important sectors of the world in terms of cultural interaction and economy. Historical palace gardens and sites are subject to numerous influences due to various reasons in time. Today, these influences emerge as tools of preservation of cultural assets due to changes originating from actual needs. Interest in history and culture create pressure on historical monuments and sites depending on tourism activities. Considering tourism with its economic gains, it can be accepted positively in general. Moreover, impacts of tourism on palace gardens and sites, hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, can be ignored. The aim of this study was to emphasize the significance of cultural properties of monuments as well as Ottoman Period Palace Gardens, with its international cultural heritage values for national and international visitors. At the first stage national palaces that are situated in Istanbul were introduced, then their problems and protentional originating from tourism activities were discussed and at the final stage, suggestions were developed to achieve sustainability of national palaces of Istanbul including Topkapi Palace, Dolmabahce Palace, Beylerbeyi Palace, Yildiz Palace and their unique gardens based on the principles of conservation and landscape design as far as sustainable cultural tourism is concerned.