Antalya to become a wedding hotspot
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Betül Çal
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Haziran 08, 2009 00:00
ANTALYA - The Church of St. Nicholas, in the Demre district of Antalya, is on its way to becoming an important marriage destination for the Christian world as the Mediterranean region works to attracts more wedding tourism.
With the new "Wedding City of Antalya" project, the southern city aims to build on its global reputation as a holiday destination and diversify tourism in the area.
Demre, also known as Myra, is one of the major cities of Lycia, and is of high importance for the Christian world because St. Nicholas was a bishop in the city. The Church of St. Nicholas was built in commemoration after his death. This historical religious monument will now witness the happiness of couples who will come to the district from all over the world to get married.
Wedding-dress designer Gülseren Özdemir is the initiator of the project. She thinks that neither Demre nor the Church of St. Nicholas has been used to its full potential as a means of attracting visitors to the region Ğ and, in particular, of getting a share of the destination-wedding business that makes up 36 percent of the world’s tourism industry.
According to Özdemir, Antalya tourism is not just about the Mediterranean sea and sun, the untouched coasts, blue-flag beaches and gorgeous bays Ğ though their contributions cannot be underestimated in terms of developing regional tourism. "But we have more to offer," she told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "The Wedding City of Antalya project aims to expand tourism, which has been squeezed into a few months with the current facilities, into all 12 months, which would mean more tourists and more income to contribute to the regional and national economy."
The "Wedding City" team has led the way by getting legal permission from the Provincial Directorate of Culture to perform marriage ceremonies in the Church of St. Nicholas, which will host such ceremonies for the first time in its history.
"The project is a joint work of Nilay Gelinlik, hotels, organization companies and tour operators," Özdemir said. "We all work in coordination to facilitate the young couples spending the most special days in their lives in the wonderful atmosphere of Demre."
Regarding the publicity and advertising aspects of the project, Özdemir said she was happy to be able to say that government organizations, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Antalya Municipality, would support them in every possible way and announce this important project to the whole world. The Ministry will put a link to the project on its Web site so visitors can keep up with the latest developments and offerings.
First ceremony to be
held in December
"The first wedding ceremony, which will include up to 15 couples, will take place between Dec. 1 and Dec. 6, 2009, an important date for the Christian world," Özdemir said. "We expect to host around 500 guests besides the couples in Demre during those days and the figures may increase with time."
The second phase of the project will include arranging marriage ceremonies for one couple at a time and customizing them according to their needs.
The cost of this service ranges between 3,000 and 4,000 euros per couple, excluding the cost of air transportation, accommodation and the fee charged by the tour operator. "This project will ensure an annual income of 600,000 euros to the city, which is rather a serious amount," Özdemir added. A British couple has already booked the Church of St. Nicholas for their marriage ceremony, which will take place in July 2010 with some 25 guests.
Demre, also known as Myra, is one of the major cities of Lycia, and is of high importance for the Christian world because St. Nicholas was a bishop in the city. The Church of St. Nicholas was built in commemoration after his death. This historical religious monument will now witness the happiness of couples who will come to the district from all over the world to get married.
Wedding-dress designer Gülseren Özdemir is the initiator of the project. She thinks that neither Demre nor the Church of St. Nicholas has been used to its full potential as a means of attracting visitors to the region Ğ and, in particular, of getting a share of the destination-wedding business that makes up 36 percent of the world’s tourism industry.
According to Özdemir, Antalya tourism is not just about the Mediterranean sea and sun, the untouched coasts, blue-flag beaches and gorgeous bays Ğ though their contributions cannot be underestimated in terms of developing regional tourism. "But we have more to offer," she told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. "The Wedding City of Antalya project aims to expand tourism, which has been squeezed into a few months with the current facilities, into all 12 months, which would mean more tourists and more income to contribute to the regional and national economy."
The "Wedding City" team has led the way by getting legal permission from the Provincial Directorate of Culture to perform marriage ceremonies in the Church of St. Nicholas, which will host such ceremonies for the first time in its history.
"The project is a joint work of Nilay Gelinlik, hotels, organization companies and tour operators," Özdemir said. "We all work in coordination to facilitate the young couples spending the most special days in their lives in the wonderful atmosphere of Demre."
Regarding the publicity and advertising aspects of the project, Özdemir said she was happy to be able to say that government organizations, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Antalya Municipality, would support them in every possible way and announce this important project to the whole world. The Ministry will put a link to the project on its Web site so visitors can keep up with the latest developments and offerings.
First ceremony to be
held in December
"The first wedding ceremony, which will include up to 15 couples, will take place between Dec. 1 and Dec. 6, 2009, an important date for the Christian world," Özdemir said. "We expect to host around 500 guests besides the couples in Demre during those days and the figures may increase with time."
The second phase of the project will include arranging marriage ceremonies for one couple at a time and customizing them according to their needs.
The cost of this service ranges between 3,000 and 4,000 euros per couple, excluding the cost of air transportation, accommodation and the fee charged by the tour operator. "This project will ensure an annual income of 600,000 euros to the city, which is rather a serious amount," Özdemir added. A British couple has already booked the Church of St. Nicholas for their marriage ceremony, which will take place in July 2010 with some 25 guests.