The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Ertuðrul Günay, declared that they did not want private coves to turn into “fish beds or graveyards”, and announced that a law draft on the issue causing problems in Milas and Bodrum will be sent to the General Assembly in the new legislative year, and that the issue would be resolved before the end of the year.
Günay, pointing out that ’some unjust profit seeking is going on in Turkey”, said, ’It is as if the allocations destroy nature, or as if tourists come to our country, but we are not making money. Perhaps Turkey experienced such situations in the past, but we are quickly leaving all that behind. We are much more careful, much more sensitive about allocations, and we are trying to establish a much more stable process which can look to the future with confidence.”
Günay pointed out that there were complaints about the all-inclusive system as well, but he alleged that these were the result of ’exaggerated, unjust, untrue cheap price rumors”.
Claiming that there were some of the ’most expensive” facilities of the Mediterranean Basin in Turkey, and that they were substantially full, Günay added, ’In tourism, big countries such as Spain, Italy and Turkey have to cater to every budget. Both the student who grabs his backpack and comes here from Europe, and the person who rents a villa for his family and wants to enjoy Turkey should be able to find a place suitable to his taste and concept. We have both in Turkey, and both are making money.”
ENDS IN AUTUMN
Günay announced that the law draft on the subject of fish farms in touristic regions would be sent to the General Assembly in the new legislative year, and the issue would be resolved before the end of this year.
Günay, relating that the time granted for the relocation of the farms offshore had not yet run out, and that the farms were taking their time relocating, said, ’As the time is running out, fish farm lobbyists are raising their voices.”
Günay, declaring that the fish industry is a source of revenue for Turkey, and fish was even an irreplaceable commodity for tourism, said, ’We need this, but we don”t want our nature, our special coves used by blue cruises or touristic accommodation facilities to turn into fish farm beds or graveyards.”
Emphasizing that they wanted to establish the application of international criteria in this field, Günay said, ’We have no conflicts with the other ministries in principle on the subject, but as we are looking at the issue from the viewpoint of tourism, we are acting a bit more decisively and quickly on the matter. Maybe other institutions are taking things slightly more slowly, but we will reach a mutual agreement by the end of this summer.”
