Daday becomes Türkiye's latest Cittaslow gem

KASTAMONU

Daday, a town in the Northern province of Kastamonu in Türkiye, has been designated as the country's 25th "Cittaslow" city.

The initiative, spearheaded by Daday's Mayor Hasan Fehmi Taş and supported by the Northern Anatolia Development Agency, began nearly two years ago with an application to join the "Cittaslow Türkiye" network. Daday underwent scrutiny in 72 different areas, including air quality, sewage systems, literacy rates and urban planning dynamics.

These efforts culminated with the announcement of Daday as Türkiye's 25th Cittaslow city during the International Cittaslow Coordination Committee meeting in Damme, Belgium, on March 23. Mayor Hasan Fehmi Taş expressed optimism about the impact of Cittaslow membership, emphasizing that it would greatly contribute to Daday and lead to significant momentum in terms of tourism.

The ceremony held in Damme also honored Safranbolu, a district in the Northern province of Karabük, as one of the Cittaslow cities. Highlighting the city's unique status as Türkiye's sole UNESCO World Heritage site on a municipal scale, Safranbolu's Mayor Elif Köse said that the target audience is European tourists who appreciate cultural tourism.

The Cittaslow Union welcomes cities with populations below 50,000, aiming to foster healthy city development while preserving local character and uniqueness for a better living environment.