Marmaris Guidebook

An environmental group in Marmaris has filed suit to overturn a government decision in favor of a plan to expand the city’s port, and is prepared to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary to stop the project.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference, Marmaris Environment Volunteers Group leader Filiz Ersan announced the legal move, saying the Environmental Effect Evaluation and Planning Administration had made a wrong decision in approving the port-expansion plan.

“We applied to the Muğla Administration Court to cancel the decision of the Environmental Effect Evaluation and Planning Administration approving the plan to expand the port,” said Ersan, whose group has been working to protect Marmaris’s natural environment for 19 years. “We certainly object to this decision and we have doubts about how they granted this permission. We will be very persistent in stopping the expansion of the port.”

The Marmaris Trade Chamber, or MTO, held a press conference to explain its efforts to make the district a brand in tourism. Mayors in Marmaris, and Turkey Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, or TURSAB, representatives, South Aegean Union of Hotel Owners, or GETOB, and 23 non-governemental organizations attended the meeting.

Using other countries’ promotional campaigns as examples, the meeting’s participants decided to establish a Marmaris Introduction Committee to make an effective campaign to introduce the district to the tourism market.

“It is necessary to become a brand to increase tourism income. For the Marmaris Introduction Committee to be established, it has to allocate a budget for the promotion of the district. International companies have been allocating 50 million euros to brand their areas. Continue reading »

Three of Turkey’s popular holiday spots gain international acclaim, as they are added to a list of the best. According to a survey conducted by Thomson, one of England’s prominent travel agencies, Marmaris, İçmeler and Didim are among the world’s best holiday places

Turkey enters the list of top 10 holiday hot spots Three towns in Turkey were named among the 10 best holiday spots in Europe. According to a survey conducted by Thomson, one of England’s most prominent travel agencies, Marmaris ranked third, İçmeler sixth and Didim seventh among the best holiday destinations in the world.

Marmaris, a district in the western city of Muğla, is one of Turkey’s most popular holiday resorts. Also a Muğla district, İçmeler, eight kilometers from Marmaris, is acclaimed for its fantastic bay. Didim is a popular seaside holiday resort in Aydın Province.
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Recommendations have been put forward to extend the Blue Cruise, a voyage along Turkey’s Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, to cover the whole year, in an effort to extend the tourism season.

Arif Yılmaz, chairman of the Bodrum Chamber of Commerce Yacht Committee, believes providing the Blue Cruise year round could help the tourism sector. The climate is warm along the coast all year long, and there are many historical sites and animals to see both on land and under the water.

The Blue Cruise also stops by a number of coves and provides tourists with an opportunity to relax and enjoy the sun. The clarity of the water makes stops ideal locations for snorkeling, diving, amateur sponge hunting and underwater photography.

In addition, Continue reading »

Some Marmaris residents have reacted strongly against the trimming of eucalyptus trees by teams from the Marmaris Municipality Parks and Gardens Directorate.

“We trimmed the long branches of eucalyptus trees to avoid any danger in stormy days,” said İlknur Kökeş, director of Marmaris Municipality Parks and Gardens Directorate.

After trimming three trees on Mustafa Muğlalı Street that are reportedly 120 years old, Marmaris residents criticized the practice and called national and local newspapers, saying, “They are killing the trees.”
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