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Eastern Turkey Becomes Tourist Destination
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Çoruh Valley, Turkey, September 2009-Turkey’s Eastern Anatolia is a long way from tourism hotspots such as the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. Even so, tourists—more than 1,400 in the past two years— are now finding their way to a remote area that has become an eco-tourism gem despite ongoing plans for dam projects in the region. For now, though, the Çoruh region near the city of Erzurum draws power from tourists rather than hydro-electric sources.
Through the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project, tourists can now hike, bike on Turkey’s first mountain bike trails or raft on Turkey’s last remaining wild river. The Çoruh Valley is also part of a biodiversity hotspot—one of 25 globally—and considered critical for conservation. Tourists can engage in that biodiversity through bird watching, bear watching and other nature hikes. In addition to protecting nature, the project has also benefitted the local economy as well. In the past two years, tourism revenue has generated $130,000. Local residents have also received training in hotel management, running camp sites and in guiding treks. As part of that training, 38 people, including 21 women, took instructional field trips to more conventional tourism destinations in the Aegean and Mediterranean. There, they learned more about running small hotels known as pensions. Following the training, 18 new pensions have opened for business in the Çoruh region in the past year, most of these being managed by women. The eco-tourism project has also blazed the trail for other innovative projects in Turkey. For instance, scientists inventoried and mapped the region’s flora and fauna for use in campaigns promoting the area’s natural attractions. Additionally, Turkey’s first regional guide on birds,“The Birds of the Çoruh Valley,” was published and a Bird Watch Festival was organised in 2007. Furthermore, Turkey’s first mountain bike track covering Uzundere – Bağbaşı – İspir – Yusufeli - Ayder was outlined and marked on the map. In the spring of 2009, the number of rafting groups along the Çoruh River, which flows to the Black Sea, increased by 200 percent. The popularity of the river contributed to the World Rafting Federation’s choice of Turkey as host of the 2010 Official European Championship. The projects will also provide a model for other regional and rural development programmes and provide Çoruh Valley’s residents with an alternative livelihood to agriculture. It also helps conserve an important biodiversity spot. Efes Pilsen Group, United Nations Development Programme and Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism all contributed to the Eastern Anatolia Tourism Development Project.
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