Local experts in Turkey are calling for radical changes in tourism. Hotels located on the first line of beaches and coastal areas, which infringe on public access to coastal areas, have become the object of outrage. In this regard, Professor Ilber Ortaily expressed a strong opinion on the need for a gradual dismantling and rebuilding of these hotels.
Ortayly said that Turkey’s current tourism development policy violates the principles of sustainable tourism and that such an approach cannot serve as a salvation for the country. He stressed that if Turkey wants to develop tourism sustainably in the future, then the hotels on the first line will have to be dismantled.
The professor also denounced the arbitrary development policy that destroys natural forests and coastal zones. He expressed bewilderment at the construction of huge hotels without a clear need, which leads to problems such as water pollution and the spread of disease due to overcrowding during the summer months on the coasts of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas.
Ortaylı also compared the situation in Turkey to Franco’s Spain, noting that even at that time the beaches remained open to the public and hotels did not interfere with other tourists by putting their sun loungers far from the coast. He expressed the opinion that if Turkey does not change its approach to tourism, then its hotels on the first line will also become objects of dismantling.
The professor stressed that this may encourage some tourists to refuse to visit Turkey, but he expressed the hope that tourists will pay attention to the beauty of nature and historical monuments of the region. In addition, he stressed that a country of 80 million people cannot rely on tourism as the main branch of the national economy.