Cappadocia, Kayseri skiing centers to be promoted together

KAYSERİ

Turkey’s Cappadocia and the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri, which has skiing centers and offers historical must-sees, will be promoted abroad in a common tourism package in an effort to diversify the country’s tourism.

The tour package will be tied to Istanbul, the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) said in a statement on Aug. 2, adding that Ukraine would be the first tourism market for the project.

Regarding the project, a meeting was held in Kayseri with the attendance of representatives of Ukraine’s leading travel agencies and tour operators and Turkish local officials with the support of TÜROB and Turkish Airlines’ Kiev office, according to the statement.

TÜROB President Timur Bayındır said Turkey must develop new tourism products and services to attract foreign tourists of high quality.

“We will now offer foreign holidaymakers a balloon tour in Cappadocia in the morning and to enjoy skiing in Kayseri’s Erciyes in the afternoon. We hope the project will promote the region abroad as well as creating a solid tourism product,” he noted, adding that Ukraine had great potentials in terms of winter tourists to lure.

The number of Ukrainian tourists visiting Turkey rose to 1.3 million in 2017 with a 23 percent yearly increase, with the Mediterranean resort of Antalya being the top destination, Bayındır noted.

Nearly 305,000 of them visited Istanbul, he added.

Radison Blue Hotel Kayseri General Manager Atakan Altuğ said promoting Kayseri and Cappadocia in a single tour package abroad would bring out positive results to the region’s tourism.

“Visitors will see these two destinations are complementing each other by enabling them to get different experiences,” he added.

Meanwhile, the number of tourists that took part in hot air balloon tours in the skies of Cappadocia in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir increased by 87 percent to 226,000 people in the first half of this year compared to the same period of 2017.

Cappadocia, which is famous for its fairy chimneys, natural rock formations, underground cities and boutique hotels carved into rocks, is also one of the world’s most active hot air balloon hubs.

In addition to its modern skiing centers, Kayseri also offers prominent historical must-sees for tourists. There are only three covered bazaars still functioning in Turkey. One of them is in Kayseri, while the others are in Istanbul and the Marmara province of Bursa. Excavations in Kültepe — 20 kilometers northeast of the city with 6,000 years of history — have been continuing for 60 years. It is one of the first settlements in Anatolia.