Belek sees future of Turkish tourism
Posted by meb at February 26th, 2007
The Belek Tourism Investors Union (BETUYAB), founded in 1989 by some of the most important tourism investors in Turkey, is the nation’s first integrated tourism project. BETUYAB’s goal is to become a world brand in tourism and its first destination is Belek, in the field of administrational, infrastructural and environmental projects, in league with the public.
BETUYAB was first established in Belek as the prime example of collaboration of the public and social sectors in tourism. BETUYAB’s main goal is to make Turkey’s potential a reality for world toursim and to make Turkey a brand. BETUYAB held the Tourism Correspondent Seminar at Belek’s Gloria Verde Hotel on Saturday about tourism legislation, sector dynamics and tourism trends with editors, correspondents and administrators who are interested in tourism.
At the seminar, held with the attendance of the Tourism Ministry, sector union representatives and tourism specialists mainly discussed issues concerning Turkey’s tourism strategy, tourism facilities, their documentation, inspection, tourism promotion policies and applications, and tourism education policies and application. Projects about such issues are expected to be taken up by the Tourism Ministry.
Regarding tourism strategies, the Culture and Tourism Ministry Investment and Work Division said that the curriculums of universities’ tourism management and hotel management departments are going to be revised. Under the projects, general tourism education curriculums will include tourism sociology, world cuisine and cultures, Anatolian civilizations and cultures, tourism research techniques, tourism concept building, behavioral sciences, new tourism products and variations, research and special branches education (in yachting, cave research, underwater research, mountain climbing, rafting, etc).
The Turkey Tourism Strategy Conceptual Action Plan, in two chapters, “Strategies-2023″ and “Action Plan 2007-2013,” is going to head towards regional destinations and corridors. The plan includes regions such as Troy, Phrygia, Aphrodisias, Urartu, Cappadocia and the sites of the Hittite Empire.
Regarding the allowance, documentation and inspection of tourism facility centers, the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Land and Allowance Chairmanship gave briefings about work done last year on announcements to Turkish and foreign tourism investors.
As a result of the investments set to be made in on 55 regions within the Culture and Tourism Protection and Development Areas and Tourism Space and Centers, and 41 regions outside these areas, an 5,150-bed accommodation center is gong to be built.
Some 3,500 people will be employed at these facilities.
Belek and golf courses
The Belek Tourism Center is one of the biggest integrated tourism projects of recent years. Just 20 years ago a swamp, Belek is now an example of the collaborative work of the Belek Tourism Investors Union and the Tourism Ministry. Belek has now become a tourism center meeting world-class standards.
Belek is important in terms of its golf courses and has become one of the golf centers of Turkey. There are five golf clubs, 31 four- and five-star hotels and five-star holiday resorts in Belek. Thanks to the new golf courses which are going to be built in the region, Belek will continue to become one of the world’s most important golf centers. Regarding the building of new courses, the Culture and Tourism Ministry started to build five courses in 2004 and the construction is still continuing. According to the plans, there are going to be 11 golf courses in Belek at the end of these projects.
BETUYAB spokesman Sami Turker Orcun said that with the help of universities, an inventory on Belek’s flora and fauna varieties was held and they did construction on the Belek region in the light of this information. “There are 574 plant species in Belek,” he said. “Twenty-nine of them only grow here in Turkey, and one of them grows only here in the entire world, namely the Pyrus Serikensis plant. There are 109 bird species living in Belek. This is one-fourth of all bird species which live in Turkey.”
Belek’s coasts are important areas for the Caretta Caretta turtle’s breeding seasons. BETUYAB got help from Hacettepe University in 1999 and started an international protection project on 30 kilometers of coastal areas. BETUYAB also won the Environment Ministry’s Official Research Project bid in 2000. The research project, which was going to continue for two years, finished at the end of 2001. After 2001 the project continued under the collaboration of Hacettepe University and BETUYAB.
source: The New Anatolian
Related posts: