Abstract
Turkey is a country where there are special destinations with a wide variety of richness in terms of alternative tourism options. Thanks to the advantages of its geographical location, the country has natural opportunities where not only sea-sand-sun tourism but also different types of tourism can be developed. In order to seize these opportunities, the actors of the sector are making great efforts at both local, national and international levels. One of the types of tourism in which such diversity and intense efforts are in question is winter tourism. Erciyes Winter Sports and Tourism Center, which was developed with a master plan and put into service since the winter of 2012, has become one of the largest and regular winter tourism regions in Turkey. Erciyes Winter Sports and Tourism Center, which is the main factor of the said change in the region, transforming Kayseri into a tourism city; therefore, it has the potential to create economic opportunities for both facility investors and the service sector. Erciyes Winter Sports and Tourism Center, which is now preferred by foreign tourists with its touristic features as a winter destination and where it stays for at least one week, provides very important contributions to Kayseri, primarily in terms of economic, social, cultural and city branding. For this reason, the results of this study and the evaluations made for Erciyes Winter Sports and Tourism Center reveal the importance of winter sports and tourism centers in the development of winter tourism in destinations and present suggestions for visitors and sector representatives.