Youth to explore country via free dorm project

ANKARA

Within the scope of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s "Travel Enthusiast" project, young people can now take advantage of free accommodation in dorms as they explore the historical and natural sites of the country.

The project, which started last year and has already benefitted nearly 325,000 young people, opens the doors of dormitories across the country to people between 18 and 30 years of age, offering them the opportunity to visit many landmark locations.

Following the academic break of universities, this year's implementation will begin on July 10, covering the only summer period. In the project, which includes all provinces except for earthquake-prone areas, two dormitories, one for males and one for females, have been allocated.

While there is no requirement to be a university student for young people who want to take advantage of free accommodation in the dormitories, it is necessary to make reservations at least one day in advance for available spots.

"Last year, through this project, 325,000 of our young people between the ages of 18 and 30 were able to benefit from free accommodation in the dormitories of the Youth and Sports Ministry. Due to the demand among our youth, we have decided to continue the project with the approval of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan," Minister Osman Aşkın Bak stated during his speech at a dorm in Istanbul.

"This year, we will provide an environment where our young people can stay for free during their travels to each province, with one male and one female dormitory available,” Bak added.

The project aims to contribute to a better understanding of their country by young people and enable them to explore cultural values, the minister noted.

Stating that many in this age group, most of whom are students, cannot afford hotel expenses, Bak added that they will also provide a card that allows young people to visit museums for free or at a discounted rate, in collaboration with the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

Ethem Yıldırım was among the young holidaymakers who benefitted from free accommodation last year.

Yıldırım, who is a Sakarya University student, said he preferred camping in tents for holidays before he found out about the ministry's program.

Sharing his last year's traveling experience, Yıldırım said that he started out earlier and traveled from the southwestern province of Muğla to Çanakkale further north, stopping by Aydın, the Ephesus ruins and Balıkesir, where he set up his tent. He also noted that he chose Sultan Çelebi Mehmet dormitory in the northwestern province of Edirne, one of the stopovers of his holiday, which helped him to save some bucks with the free accommodation.