Winter fest to produce millions

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Hürriyet Photo

Winterfest, a festival catering to university students on Uludağ Mountain, a popular winter sports resort in the northwestern province of Bursa, will generate 20 million Turkish Liras this year, according to organizers.

Winterfest is organized on three different dates and nearly 8,000 students from 55 universities in Turkey, Greece, Holland and Iran will attend. Some 3,100 rooms have been reserved in 14 hotels, each priced between 300 and 750 liras for four nights and five days.

“It is a festival worth 20 million liras,” said Kayahan Gültepe, a founder of the supporting Ark Organization, adding that Winterfest has a prominent place in the economy of Uludağ, as all hotels will reach full capacity during the festivities.

According to Gültepe, they hit a record in hosting 7,500 university students from 52 universities and 16 cities in Uludağ last year.

Winterfest debuted as a small university tour for 40 people in 1996, and has rapidly grown thanks to popularity among its target group, Gültepe said.