Turkey aims to turn eastern Black Sea into water tourism hub

TRABZON – Anadolu Agency

A development agency is aiming to establish a “Blue Route” in the eastern Black Sea of Turkey with the aim of introducing new tourism alternatives to the region, which has recently witnessed a boost in the number of local and foreign tourists.

The Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA) is considering turning the region into an attraction hub for cruise tourism and water sports with a comprehensive project that foresees a minimum 200 million-Turkish Lira investment.

DOKA General Secretary Oktay Kaldırım said the number of foreign and local tourists visiting the eastern Black Sea had jumped by a quarter over a year to 5 million in 2014, adding that the agency aimed to elevate this boost further through new planned investments.

The “Blue Route” project includes plans to build a cruise port in Trabzon, a water sports center in Artvin and a yacht marina between Trabzon and Ordu, rafting areas on creeks and projects to support sailing, Kaldırım said.