BURSA
The governorate of Turkey's northwestern province of Bursa and the Arab Tourism Organization have declared Bursa would be this year's main destination.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tourist Hoteliers' Association of South Marmara (GUMTOB) Haluk Beceren told Anadolu Agency that the tourism in Bursa and its neighboring city of Yalova made progress till the 2000's but the tourism regressed after the devastating earthquake in Turkey's Marmara region in 1999.
Beceren said that the Arab tourists visited mostly Istanbul, the cities of Yalova and Bursa near eastern coast of the Sea of Marmara, especially the Mount Uludag in Bursa and the villages around, the historical settlements and mosques in the region.
Beceren noted that the number of tourists visiting the region increased in the recent years and that young Arabs preferred to take vacation in Bursa.
"Unfortunately the incidents in Istanbul regressed it. But [President of the Arab League Tourism Organization] Bandar Fahad Al-Fehaid is at the moment in Bursa and follows the developments in Istanbul very closely. He told me that he published a declaration, which he sent to all the cooperating countries that there are no problems in Turkey. Especially in Uludag there is a heavy density of Arab tourists in the winter season. We expect that the number of tourists will be increased."
Beceren underlined that they expected a heavy influx of Arab tourists after the holy month of Ramadan and added, "It looks like almost all hotels have been booked, predominantly by Arab tourists."
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