Van cats give boost to local tourism

VAN

The “Van Cat Villa,” which houses numerous domestic cats in the eastern province, has welcomed more than 90,000 visitors in five months, giving a boost to the local tourism.

The Van cats, famous for their different eye colors and pure white fur, are meticulously taken care of at the “Van Cat Villa” located on the Yüzüncü Yıl University campus.

The Van Cat Research Center, established in 1992, carries out intensive and comprehensive work to preserve the genetic, morphological, and physiological characteristics of the domestic species.

When the Van cat was registered in 2006 as a valuable asset of the province, it also started to be the promotional face of the city.

The center, where the number of Van cats increases day by day, has become a popular destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. New members join the center during the birth periods that occur three times every year. Especially the kittens of this species attract great attention from the visitors.

Abdullah Kaya, the director of the center, stated that approximately 2,000 local and foreign tourists visited the cats on weekends, adding that in the last five months, this figure has reached 90,000.

Explaining that the center has great value in terms of tourism, Kaya said, “We have been carrying out a quite intensive tourism activity, especially in recent years.”

“Both the national and international studies carried out, as well as the fairs we participated in and the studies carried out with promotion have brought it to this point,” he explained.

Stating that all tours to Van include the villa in their destinations, Kaya underlined that this is of great importance in terms of protecting the future of the species.

Retired teacher Süheyla Peker, who arrived in Van from the northwestern province of Bursa for a trip, stated that she found the Van cats very beautiful and said, “While I came to Van, I also wanted to see the Van cats. Each of them has a special beauty. I am glad that we have come.”