Local people (athletes, coaches, referees, spectators, citizens) are considered as one of the important stakeholders in sports tourism destinations. This research was conducted to determine the perceptions of local people living in Kocaeli province towards the development of sports tourism and to examine them in terms of various variables. Quantitative research method was used in the research. Zgurovski and Akın (2016)'s perception scale for the development of sports tourism was preferred as a data collection tool. A total of 410 participants from Kocaeli local people participated in the research voluntarily. Research data was collected between January 1, 2023 and April 30, 2023, and SPSS 22 package program was used in the analysis of the data. When the research findings were examined in terms of variables such as gender, education level, age, employment status and type of participation in sports tourism, it was determined that there were significant differences. No difference was detected in terms of the place of birth variable. According to the perception of the local people, it has been determined that there are significant relationships between the studies on the development of sports tourism and its contribution to the city, the availability of suitable areas, the identification of areas and the impact sub-factors. According to local people, there are suitable areas for the development of sports tourism in Kocaeli, but it has been concluded that the features that these areas should have (suitable venues, accessibility and security) are not sufficient. It has been suggested that infrastructure works should be carried out for the development of sports tourism. As a result of the research, it was determined that the perception of Kocaeli local people towards the development of sports tourism is at a high level. However, the research also identified the need to inform local people about sports tourism.

Sports Tourism, Destination, Kocaeli, Local People