TOPICS regarding the fate of tourism and the coastal areas around Didim were raised in separate meetings last week.
Tourism workshop
A workshop for tourism officials was held in Kusadasi to address Aydin Province’s tourism action plan.
Aydin Governor Ömer Faruk Kocak chaired the meeting at the Kusadasi Ephesus Congress tourism center and spoke of the problems being experienced this year and the hopes for 2017. Officials discussed measures and what can be done.
The meeting was also attended by Aydin’s Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu, deputy governor Mustafa Ayhan, Kusadasi Governor Muammer Aksoy, Kusadasi Mayor Ozer Kayali, Kusadasi Chamber of Commerce President Serdar Akdogan and TÜRSAB Kuşadası Regional Executive Chairman Fahrettin Çiçek, as well as many tourist organizations and professional representatives from the sector.
The workshop addressed a Short and Medium Term Tourism Action Plan for Kusadasi and Didim.
Kocak said: “This conference meeting seeks the detection and solution of problems in a sense through cooperation with all sectors.”
He said that a variety of committees will be set up and follow up meetings will be scheduled to try and address issues affecting tourism.
Kuşadası Governor Aksoy said that due to the experienced security vulnerabilities, many cruise ships had canceled the expedition, claiming that 300 ships had cancelled at the last minute.
He said there was deficiencies in transportation and proposed that a light rail network should be planned.
Mayor Çerçioğlu said that ongoing work, including security, coastal management and infrastructure, were ongoing, as well as studies on environmental regulations.
Other outstanding problems touched on were seasonality, skilled labor and the lack of a holistic approach to a destination.
Coastal Assessment Commission
A coastal commission meeting was held in Didim last week, with local official figures meeting to discuss on progress.
Little detail has been released publicly other than that the commission had started its work and would update accordingly.