THE ROLE OF TOURISM RELATED MIGRATIONS ON SOCIOCULTURAL CHANGE: THE CASE OF DIDYMA

Didyma is an area which has been home to immigrants for 100 years and so experienced changes in many aspects. Immigration towards a region, alone, has the power to cause change. The development of tourism in Didyma has increased the power of migration to cause change and has turned migration into a self-acting social process. Starting from 1924, when first immigrants arrived at Didyma, if we call every movement of migration of a group of individuals with common characteristics a "stratum of migration," it will be possible to distinguish three main strata; namely, the Balkanization, dam-induced and tourism related migrations. Within this framework, the purpose of this study is to investigate the sociocultural change created by social groups distinguished according to their sociocultural characteristics and reasons for migration related tourism. The data for this study were collected through interviews conducted in person and analyzed in accordance with grounded theory approach. As a result of this study, the dimensions of change were divided into five main categories; deterioration of social values, declination of business ethics, changes in senses of identity and belonging, socio-spatial accumulation and emergence of social hegemony.