A “second Cappadocia” with fabulous “chimneys,” thermal hotels, and hot air balloon rides are planned to be created in Turkey. According to the Turkish press, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has begun working on turning the famous Phrygian Valley into a popular tourist region.
Our reference: The Phrygian Valley is a historical region located in central Turkey between Afyonkarahisar and Eskisehir, where the powerful Phrygian Kingdom flourished about three thousand years ago. It is known for its fortresses and rock structures, churches from the Roman and Byzantine periods, and “unearthly” landscapes that truly resemble the famous Cappadocia.
Currently, 90% of those visiting the region are domestic tourists. The Turks want to change this situation, and not only increase the number of foreign tourists here but also increase the length of their stay to three days.
In the city of Afyonkarahisar itself, the emphasis is supposed to be on thermal tourism. Tourists are ready to be offered 11 thousand five-star places in thermal hotels alone. So far, these hotels are distinguished by 60% occupancy, mainly from November to March. General Director of the Akrones Hotel Yunal Ozgen described the situation as follows: “The best thermal springs in Turkey are in this region. Our biggest problem is that there are no guests from abroad. We have started to do serious work in this direction. It would be great if we could increase the occupancy of our hotels to 75%, using our foreign potential,” he said.
The tourist opportunities of the “second Cappadocia” have recently been replenished with a popular attraction of the “original” — hot air balloon flights have been launched here. A presentation on local tourism has already been held for representatives of the tourism business from OAZ.