Is Homer's land of eternal blue, Bodrum, ready for the season with its fabulous climate, blue sea, natural beauty, colourful nightlife and luxurious hotels?
We asked Serdar Karcılıoğlu, the president of Bodrum Professional Hotel Executives Association (BOYD), about Bodrum in the pre-season. As the phrase goes, “he had much to say”.
In order to be able to answer the question whether a destination is ready for tourism or not, we need to look at the actions that have been taken so far in terms of tourism feasibility in that destination. Bodrum welcomes tourists every year from April to October. However, is it possible to make proper tourism in this process? This point needs to be scrutinised.
Bodrum is not a world brand, but a world-renowned destination. In order for Bodrum to become a brand, first of all, the roads should be proper for tourism. Bodrum should become a town, where the electricity is not cut by the wind; the garbage problem is solved with sustainable waste management, and where there are treatment facilities. The things I have mentioned so far are, unfortunately, not as they should be in a tourist destination.
Tourism has developed unprofessionally in Bodrum due to the wrong policies implemented so far. In the middle of the season, we can face water trucks in Gumbet. The hotels are prepared to accommodate their guests in their rooms and venues through their own means.
87.4% of the employees in the hospitality industry in Turkey are uneducated. Unfortunately, we are trying to carry out tourism with untrained staff. In addition, we work with a lack of employment which means over 250.000 employees. At the peak of the season, we give any man a bow tie and expect him to serve. Now, when you put all of these sub-subs, I would like you to evaluate whether Bodrum and Turkey are ready for tourism or not.
Of course, there are pleasing developments as well. A friend of ours from the kitchen of tourism has become the Minister of Tourism. We speak the same language; he is capable to understand our problems easily and find solutions. We, as BOYD, made a request for the national holiday to rise up to 9 days. The issue was discussed very quickly and the national Ramadan holiday was declared to be for 9 days. This situation allowed the tourism professionals in Bodrum to make their preparations in a more rational way.
We have been talking about increasing tourism period to 9 and even to 12 months. During winter, a large number of hotels are forced to close due to the lack of guests due to the architectural structure of Bodrum. However, the number of beds available in Belek during the winter months is around 60,000. Therefore, while 50-60 planes land in the airport in Antalya, we close the International Airport of Bodrum. We need to scrutinise the issues.
Are we ready for tourism? We do build 5-star hotels although we do not have a proper grey infrastructure. The hotels are really five-star inside. However, when you step outside, the environment is 1-star; I finish saying, “This is how we are ready for the season”.