Lut Desert Mars Hike Tour as an Idea for Destination Dupe

In this study, it was attempted to answer the question: “ How does the concept of destination dupe expand or complicate current theories of destination substitutability?” using a case study approach. To this end, a professional research team traveled more than 700 km into the depths of the Lut Desert over a 5-year period, based on recorded GPS tracks. The team was accompanied by native guides and researchers as part of the “Lut Desert Mars Hike Tour Package,” in order to visit terrestrial analogs of Martian phenomena in the Lut Desert. The recently coined term “destination dupe,” as an extension of the concept of destination substitutability, refers to the tourists’ conscious fantasy, irrespective of the limitations associated with destination substitutability, where an example of the destination does not exist in the real world or lack a terrestrial equivalent. This gap has been addressed in the literature by focusing on distinctions between destination substitutability and destination dupe as extensively as possible.