Ministry mulls easing visitor influx at ancient city

ANTALYA

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has said that authorities are working on a visitor management plan to ease off the visitor density at the ancient city of Phaselis in the southern part of the country.

The ancient city of Phaselis was a Greek and Roman city, situated on the coast of ancient Lycia. Its ruins now lie in the north of the contemporary town of Tekirova in the southern province of Antalya’s Kemer district.

Once one of the most significant harbor cities in Eastern Lycia and a major hub for trade, the ancient city attracts numerous local and foreign tourists.

Ersoy stressed the ongoing excavation work is hindered by the visitor density, as tourists throng the ancient city not only to witness its historical traces but also to swim.

Indicating that the city draws attention intensively on the weekends and holidays, Ersoy noted that the number of visitors mounts up to more than 10,000 occasionally.

This density produces an environment that violates the “Law on the Protection of Cultural and Natural Assets" and UNESCO regulations alike, in addition to posing an obstacle for the excavation work in the area, according to the minister.

Noting that they are currently working on a visitor management strategy within the parameters of the cultural heritage management plan to get to the root of the problem, Ersoy remarked that they plan to create parking areas distant from the archeological site, which will only permit pedestrian traffic on the site.

The minister also pointed out that areas for showers, toilet facilities and changing cabins were created in the side bays in previous years, contributing to their purpose of shifting the density to the bays.