A group of environmentalists in Torba Bay in Bodrum protested the illegal construction of a hotel’s wooden platform on a public beach by placing one foot inside small bowls and saying, “Do they want us to swim in these bowls?” Some tension occurred between the protestors and hotel employees when the group was asked to disperse.
The headwoman of the neighborhood of Torba, Fatma Kavcar, and 60 supporters gathered at the public beach Wednesday. The construction of a 130-meter-long wooden platform for a beach club was stopped by municipality authorities.
Some nongovernmental organization representatives said the hotel management was threatening them. The owner of the nearby Sina Hotel, Mustafa Akpınar, said they were only doing some minor arrangements on the beach. The former co-president of the green party, Bilge Contepe, said that because there was very little space left, people from Torba bay were going to other bays to swim. BODRUM – Doğan News Agency (DHA)
Flights start between Gazipaşa and Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen
Flights between the Gazipaşa district of the Mediterranean province Antalya and Istanbul started Friday. Private airline Borajet started its scheduled flights between Gazipaşa and Istanbul after a break. The first Borajet flight to Gazipaşa departed from Istanbul’s Asian side airport, Sabiha Gökçen Airport at 3:25 p.m. Borajet Sales Development Manager Murat Ulaşmış said the flights are now scheduled for Friday and Sunday, only but they would be extended to other days of the week depending on the interest of the local population in Alanya, Gazipaşa, Anamur and surroundings. ALANYA – Anatolia News Agency
Golf leading to prosperity in Bodrum
Huge numbers of Scandinavian tourists have recently been flocking to the Vita Golf Park Resort in Bodrum in southwestern Turkey, one of the biggest courses in the world. The resort near the village of Güvercinlik, covering 2 million square meters, has been visited by 2,000 tourists in the past four months. The visitors stayed an average of one week to play golf, manager Erol Büyük said. Last week, 200 golf enthusiasts from Sweden and Norway enjoyed the sunny and warm weather.
They have been engaged in promotional activities during winter months such as participating in fairs, Büyük said, adding that they had also signed deals with travel agencies Golf Plasir and Corendon. Some 5,000 foreign tourists have come to Bodrum in one year to play golf, he said. “A golf tourists spends 15 to 20 times more than a regular tourist. A tourist would spend 20 to 30 euros a day if they stay in an all-inclusive hotel whereas a tourist who has come here to play golf would spend $140 to $150 a day. Our aim is to host 12,000 golf tourists a year.” BODRUM – Doğan News Agency (DHA)
Greek island Kos is only 20 minutes away
Yeşil Marmaris Tourism and Yacht Management tour companies have launched a route between Bodrum and Greece’s Kos (İstanköy) Island. It takes 20 minutes for the Turkish-flagged 39-meter long catamaran Aegean Cat, which has a capacity of 364 passengers, to arrive in Kos. Bodrum and Kos are six miles apart. Domestic and foreign tourists can take the voyage in four-person private cabins.
The boat was introduced to tour managers and journalists with cocktails held in Bodrum Port on Wednesday by Vacide Tugay, one of the executives of Yeşil Marmaris Tourism and Yacht Management, Eşref Şener, and the boat’s captain.
“Bodrum-Kos trips will continue until November,” Vacide Tugay said. “Our first trip was a promotional event exclusive to tour operators but now we are open to the public. Until April 22 the boat will go three times a week, after which, daily trips will continue until November. During our first year, we aim to carry 40,000 passengers between Bodrum and Kos. As Bodrum is a hub for tourism, we decided the morning departure should be at 10 a.m., so holidaymakers can keep a relaxed schedule. According to the demands of domestic and foreign tourists, we will try to add new destinations in the future.” BODRUM – Doğan News Agency (DHA)
Ceramic artists meet in Datça
The International Knidos Culture and Art Academy, or UKKSA, in Yakaköy of the southwestern district of Datça has become a magnet for young artistic talent. The first village-based art academy in Turkey, UKKSA hosted young ceramic artists at a symposium called Welcoming the Spring. A total of 12 ceramic artists participated in the event. Director Nevzat Metin said the academy, which was immediately accepted by art circles, was formed on land that had an artistic tradition dating back thousands of years. DATÇA – Doğan News Agency (DHA)
King Road of ancient city Myndos to be repaired
The 3,500-year-old “King Road” belonging to the ancient city Myndos will be repaired and open to tourism, excavation director Professor Mustafa Şahin said. The 150-meter-long, 1.5-meter-wide ancient road was discovered when the sea level suddenly dropped in January 2007, exposing the road some 200 meters offshore between the Tavşan Island the Gümüşlük district in the southwestern holiday destination of Bodrum. “The drop in the sea level has helped bring out history,” Şahin said. The ancient city Myndos is visited by 300,000 people every year. BODRUM – Doğan News Agency (DHA)
(Source: www,hurriyetdailynews.com )