’Modern cruise ship port will boost İzmir tourism’
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 06, 2009 00:00
İZMİR - A joint initiative of theİzmirChamber of Commerce and Costa, an Italian cruise firm, plans to build a modern port for cruise ships in Turkey’s biggest city in the Aegean region. The port is crucial for tourism, say the businessmen
Turkey's biggest city on the Aegean coast is about to have a port for cruise ships that lives to its reputation.
The İzmir Chamber of Commerce, or İZTO, and Costa, an Italian cruise firm, have joined forces to built one of the most modern ports in the Mediterranean at Üçkuyular, İzmir. The two parties have signed a booking note for the $75 million investment.
Ekrem Demirtaş, president of the İZTO ruling board, said eight cruisers would be able to anchor at the port side by side at the same time. Pierluigi Foschi, president and CEO of Costa, said: "We will flood the shores of the Aegean with tourists."
İzmir has become one of the top three ports in Turkey, handling 320,000 passengers in the last five years and is expected to enter the top five in the Mediterranean with the new port.
Demirtaş said tourism had great importance in their vision of İzmir and added that when they started to work on cruise-based tourism in 2004, İzmir was a zero in the area.
"Previously, there were only two ships arriving a year, and they were ones that had lost their way," said Demirtaş, adding that they needed to start from the scratch.
"We started to talk with cruise firms," he explained. "We have decreased the port fees with support from Binali Yıldırım, the minister of transportation. They did not like the port of Alsancak; we did everything they have asked with the support of the mayor of the municipality, Ahmet Priştina."
Demirtaş pointed out that through this project the number of cruise passengers visiting Izmir reached 320,000 and this year 360,000 tourists were expected from 136 ships.
Demirtaş said they had high hopes for the port.
"We will push 400,000 tourists with constantly added ships," said Demirtaş, explaining why they needed the new port. "Our new target is having 1 million cruise passengers visiting every year to compete with cities like Barcelona which is visited by 2.1 million."
Demirtaş said the Privatization Administration would put the Üçkuyular zone up for bidding after the necessary paperwork was done, such as the approval of the Preservation Board. Demirtaş said they would attend to the bidding by the partnership they had formed with Costa and would build the port in 18 months for $75 million.
"The local partners in İzmir will have 33% of the shares and the foreigners 67%, Turkey is an indispensible market for us," Foschi said on behalf of Costa.
"As we grow, we build more ships and increase our cruises," he explained. "Our target for now is building four or five ports in the Aegean."
Foschi said there would be a great increase in the number of cruises, and added that they were planning to bring 400,000 tourists by sea.
Wharf for Ölüdeniz
Continuing efforts to increase tourism in Fethiye, local authorities have decided to build a new wharf, a chairlift and a cable railway system for the city.
Held with the aim of conducting infrastructure work and increasing service quality in tourism, a meeting for the Fethiye Seki Erendağı Winter Sports Tourism Center Infrastructure Service Union took place under the chairmanship of Ahmet Altıparmak, Muğla’s mayor.
The meeting was attended by local authorities and tourism authorities and decided Ölüdeniz Belcekız Beach needs a wharf. The wharf would cost 350,000 Turkish Liras and work would start at the end of this summer season.
Altıparmak said they were developing new projects to enhance Fethiye’s natural, cultural and historical values. He said they also sought financial resources to set up a cable railway system in Babadağ and a chair lift in Erendağı.
"We do our best to make best use of Fethiye’s resources. Our basic aim is to make Fethiye famous. The cable railway project will be completed in different stages. We are in search of resources for this project," said Altıparmak.
Altıparmak said the city has all the necessary permission from the authorities to construct a wharf at Ölüdeniz Belcekız Beach. "The new wharf will contribute much to the district’s tourism potential. The tourists coming by boats have difficulty reaching the beach. The wharf, which will also have sewage and waste water links, will solve all these problems," he said.
The İzmir Chamber of Commerce, or İZTO, and Costa, an Italian cruise firm, have joined forces to built one of the most modern ports in the Mediterranean at Üçkuyular, İzmir. The two parties have signed a booking note for the $75 million investment.
Ekrem Demirtaş, president of the İZTO ruling board, said eight cruisers would be able to anchor at the port side by side at the same time. Pierluigi Foschi, president and CEO of Costa, said: "We will flood the shores of the Aegean with tourists."
İzmir has become one of the top three ports in Turkey, handling 320,000 passengers in the last five years and is expected to enter the top five in the Mediterranean with the new port.
Demirtaş said tourism had great importance in their vision of İzmir and added that when they started to work on cruise-based tourism in 2004, İzmir was a zero in the area.
"Previously, there were only two ships arriving a year, and they were ones that had lost their way," said Demirtaş, adding that they needed to start from the scratch.
"We started to talk with cruise firms," he explained. "We have decreased the port fees with support from Binali Yıldırım, the minister of transportation. They did not like the port of Alsancak; we did everything they have asked with the support of the mayor of the municipality, Ahmet Priştina."
Demirtaş pointed out that through this project the number of cruise passengers visiting Izmir reached 320,000 and this year 360,000 tourists were expected from 136 ships.
Demirtaş said they had high hopes for the port.
"We will push 400,000 tourists with constantly added ships," said Demirtaş, explaining why they needed the new port. "Our new target is having 1 million cruise passengers visiting every year to compete with cities like Barcelona which is visited by 2.1 million."
Demirtaş said the Privatization Administration would put the Üçkuyular zone up for bidding after the necessary paperwork was done, such as the approval of the Preservation Board. Demirtaş said they would attend to the bidding by the partnership they had formed with Costa and would build the port in 18 months for $75 million.
"The local partners in İzmir will have 33% of the shares and the foreigners 67%, Turkey is an indispensible market for us," Foschi said on behalf of Costa.
"As we grow, we build more ships and increase our cruises," he explained. "Our target for now is building four or five ports in the Aegean."
Foschi said there would be a great increase in the number of cruises, and added that they were planning to bring 400,000 tourists by sea.
Wharf for Ölüdeniz
Continuing efforts to increase tourism in Fethiye, local authorities have decided to build a new wharf, a chairlift and a cable railway system for the city.
Held with the aim of conducting infrastructure work and increasing service quality in tourism, a meeting for the Fethiye Seki Erendağı Winter Sports Tourism Center Infrastructure Service Union took place under the chairmanship of Ahmet Altıparmak, Muğla’s mayor.
The meeting was attended by local authorities and tourism authorities and decided Ölüdeniz Belcekız Beach needs a wharf. The wharf would cost 350,000 Turkish Liras and work would start at the end of this summer season.
Altıparmak said they were developing new projects to enhance Fethiye’s natural, cultural and historical values. He said they also sought financial resources to set up a cable railway system in Babadağ and a chair lift in Erendağı.
"We do our best to make best use of Fethiye’s resources. Our basic aim is to make Fethiye famous. The cable railway project will be completed in different stages. We are in search of resources for this project," said Altıparmak.
Altıparmak said the city has all the necessary permission from the authorities to construct a wharf at Ölüdeniz Belcekız Beach. "The new wharf will contribute much to the district’s tourism potential. The tourists coming by boats have difficulty reaching the beach. The wharf, which will also have sewage and waste water links, will solve all these problems," he said.