Route planning based on geographical information systems: Idebessoss Ancient City in Lycia

The purpose of this study is to determine the most appropriate routes of trekking for the ancient city of Idebessos in Antalya, which has important historical and cultural values but is still very poorly known nowadays, in a short time through geographic information systems. The alternative tourism potential of the region was not adequately assessed and socio-cultural richness was effective in the selection of the study area. In this context, the study was conducted in 4 stages: Definition of the subject and inventory, digitization, analysis and synthesis. First of all, the database of natural and cultural characteristics of Idebessoss Ancient City and its immediate surroundings was created. Subsequently, urban settlements, which have high tourism potential close to the ancient city, were identified and digitized. The study field is classified by CORINE (Coordination of Information on the Environment) project using high resolution satellite images. The most suitable routes were determined by Least Cost Path (LCP) analysis land use classes and slope data. The obtained data were compared with field observations and concrete and sustainable suggestions were developed. In this study, a GIS based method was applied for trekking routes, which are at the forefront of introducing the regions without hindering the sustainable use of natural and cultural assets. It has been shown that the method gives high accuracy results a short time depending on the inputs. In addition, this method can be used for mountaineering, bird watching, horse riding, camping, etc. besides trekking to determine many routes and reach the determined zones. Within this scope, this study has widespread value.