Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Mayor
Erzurum is a unique destination for winter tourism, would you tell about this issue?
With the richness of its historical heritage, the diversity of its cultural and social values, and the dynamism of its culture and tourism actors, Erzurum is one of the most attractive geographies of the world.
In this beautiful city, we have been doing very important works to adopt, to preserve, and to sustain the historical and cultural assets and values with all its diversity and also to share them with the family of humanity to promote. Erzurum, the city of history and civilization, is like an open-air museum with its past and its natural beauties. One of the world’s most prestigious sports town with its Palandöken, Konaklı and Kandilli Skiing Centers, Erzurum is also one of the rare symbols and motifs of the world that reflects Turkish history. We are working hard to promote our cultural and natural assets of universal values, which are accepted as a common heritage of our history, to the World. Also, we have great effort to create the consciousness in society to protect this universal inheritance.
From this perspective, Erzurum is one of the most important cities worth seeing in the world, especially for belief, nature, winter and summer tourism.
I have a frank question. What does Erzurum offer to Arab tourists? Why should they come to Palandoken instead of the Alps?
Erzurum is a city of Olympic games. There are lots of facilities for winter sports which are organized by many international organizations every year. These include Ski Jumping Towers, Ski Facilities in Palandöken, Kandilli and Konaklı, ice rink, ice hockey, curling and biathlon facilities which were inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he was Prime Minister. The most important ski resort in Turkey is in Erzurum. Considering the transportation facilities, Erzurum is one of the most easy-to-access ski resorts. You can access to the ski run 15 minutes after getting off the airport. Since it is very cool in the summer, it is also a High Altitude Camping Center. Soccer teams and athletes come here to camp at high altitude before the season begins.
In addition to this, there are more than 20 bastions which were built at the strategic points to protect the city in wars. Also, there are many historical mosques and madrasas such as Ulu Cami, Çifte Minareli Medrese (Madrasa of Double Minarets), Yakutiye Madrasa. At that time, the madrasas were higher education institutions like universities today. There were 32 madrasas in Erzurum. It was a city of universities. In addition, Tortum Waterfall, one of the rare in Europe, and Narman Fairy Chimneys are attracting domestic and foreign visitors.
With either many 5-star-accommodation facilities with more than 5000 bed capacity and advanced facility infrastructure or with its rich cuisine, we offer a beautiful holiday full of activities to our guests who will come to Erzurum.
Erzurum is also an important center for agriculture and stockbreeding … What do you suggest the investors who would like to invest in Erzurum, especially in agriculture sector?
Agriculture and stockfarming are also quite important in Erzurum. 1 million 300 thousand animals are raised in this city. 700 thousand of bovine and 600 thousand of ovine and caprine are raised annually. The amount of protein in our meat and dairy products is 4 percent higher than in other regions … We are again number one in stockfarming.
Our agricultural products are organic. In the1950s, Erzurum used to meet the needs of ourcountry and some foreign countries. With more than 650 thousand animals, we want our city to be the capital of cattle raising. For this, whave established an Integrated Plant of Meat
and Meat Products, livestock markets, pond andirrigation facilities for agriculture and animal
irrigation, and a Livestock Stock Exchange so we are moving forward to become Turkey’s production base. We have been also carrying out important studies in the marketing of these products. We want to promote Erzurum’s meat, dairy products, and honey.
It is essential to note that Erzurum is literally at the crossroads … It is the center of the East and at the junction of the ways opening to Asia and the Middle East, which provides important
advantages. With a production plant in any sector, you will be able to access the most important markets easily with many advantages. In this regard, I invite our brothers in the Gulf countries to invest in our city which is safe
for investors and provides the highest level of investment incentive support as their investment in Erzurum will be profitable investment and they will have a place in Erzurum, which will be one of the few production centers of the world very soon. I would also like to say that we will provide all kinds of convenience for the investors who want to invest in Erzurum here.
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