Turkey’s museum shops up for grabs
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Doğan News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 29, 2009 00:00
AYDIN - Gift shops attached to museums in 58 top tourism spots around the country are up for rent, the Culture and Tourism Ministry announced yesterday. The aim is to create uniform and quality gift shops at top tourist destinations, such as the Hagia Sofia, Topkapı Palace and Efes Open Air museums.
The Culture Ministry believes the failure to establish modern gift shops in these destinations has been a major impediment to the full utilization of these locations.
The tender for the rental and management of the gift shops on March 23 will require a deposit by those participating of 1 million Turkish Liras as security. All 58 shops will be obliged to serve "strategic products," such as lokum (Turkish delight) and Turkish coffee. New operators will need to abide by certain guidelines. "When looked at from a commercial perspective, these museums and tourist hotspots, visited by around 20 million foreign and local tourists every year, could be a major source of income. These spots could also be utilized as part of a national communication strategy in terms of culture and history," a statement by the ministry said.
The project will focus on increasing the diversity of services and products offered, and creating financial resources to protect and preserve the country’s historical heritage, the ministry said.
Tender process criticized
Efes Gift Manufactures and Sellers Association President Ali Rıza Arın criticized the gift shops being rented out collectively rather than individually, adding they would file a complaint. Arın said mismanagement and a lack of expertise were the main reasons why shops in museums and top tourism locations failed to generate as much income as expected.
"Since 1964, there have been 55 shops at the entrance of the ancient city of Efes. This tender will be the end of all of them," he said.
If the shops were rented out individually, some of the association’s members would have made a bid to operate them, he said, adding their argument to stop the tender was that the shops were being rented out without proper consideration.
He also said the tender, scheduled for March 23, would be held a week before the local elections on March 29, adding that the government was trying to complete the process during the period of election excitement to prevent publicity being generated.
Among the gift shops up for rent are those in Bodrum Castle, Topkapı Palace and Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, Göreme Open Air Museum, Aspendos, Alanya Castle, the Pamukkale Hierapolis ruins in Denizli, Sümela Monastery and in the Anatolian Civilization Museum in Ankara.
The tender for the rental and management of the gift shops on March 23 will require a deposit by those participating of 1 million Turkish Liras as security. All 58 shops will be obliged to serve "strategic products," such as lokum (Turkish delight) and Turkish coffee. New operators will need to abide by certain guidelines. "When looked at from a commercial perspective, these museums and tourist hotspots, visited by around 20 million foreign and local tourists every year, could be a major source of income. These spots could also be utilized as part of a national communication strategy in terms of culture and history," a statement by the ministry said.
The project will focus on increasing the diversity of services and products offered, and creating financial resources to protect and preserve the country’s historical heritage, the ministry said.
Tender process criticized
Efes Gift Manufactures and Sellers Association President Ali Rıza Arın criticized the gift shops being rented out collectively rather than individually, adding they would file a complaint. Arın said mismanagement and a lack of expertise were the main reasons why shops in museums and top tourism locations failed to generate as much income as expected.
"Since 1964, there have been 55 shops at the entrance of the ancient city of Efes. This tender will be the end of all of them," he said.
If the shops were rented out individually, some of the association’s members would have made a bid to operate them, he said, adding their argument to stop the tender was that the shops were being rented out without proper consideration.
He also said the tender, scheduled for March 23, would be held a week before the local elections on March 29, adding that the government was trying to complete the process during the period of election excitement to prevent publicity being generated.
Among the gift shops up for rent are those in Bodrum Castle, Topkapı Palace and Yıldız Palace in Istanbul, Göreme Open Air Museum, Aspendos, Alanya Castle, the Pamukkale Hierapolis ruins in Denizli, Sümela Monastery and in the Anatolian Civilization Museum in Ankara.