The Mayor of the Turkish city of Bodrum, Ahmet Aras, has beckoned on Nigerians to explore the city\u2019s mediterranean culture and other tourists\u2019 sites in Turkey.<\/p>\n
Aras made the call on Monday when he hosted some Nigerian tourism stakeholders to an exploratory meeting in Turkey.<\/p>\n
Tourism promoter Ikechi Uko, said in a statement that the team was led to Turkey by the leading tour operator, Cecile Doumbe, of CMD Tours, and included Adebayo Ajayi, the Travel Sultan of Abay Tours.<\/p>\n
Mayor Aras said: \u201cTurkey has everything the Nigerian traveller wants, we have amazing shopping of top quality materials, we have wonderful destinations of which Bodrum is the best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe historical legends of Turkey are unparalleled for both Christians and Moslems, anything you want, we have more.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want you to come and enjoy our mediterranean culture within Asia; Bodrum is home to many ancient civilisations of Greece and the Island of Rhodes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the largest underwater museum in the world, AirBnB started from Bodrum over 50 years ago, we had no hotels then and we gave our houses for bed and breakfast.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut today, we have the most luxurious vacations in Europe, I will be coming to Nigeria to market Bodrum and I invite Nigerians to the Mediterranean Tourism Expo in Bodrum taking place in October\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Bodrum Hoteliers Association\u2019s President, Omer Dengiz, said that Bodrum had a population of one hundred and thirty thousand citizens but received over 1.3 million tourists every year mainly from Britain and Germany.<\/p>\n
\u201cBodrum has over 1000 hotels with about 150,000 rooms and more than 300,000 beds of cost between $50 to $500.<\/p>\n
\u201d There are Boutique hotels and luxury collections, Bodrum has been described as unique, chic and special by tourists who troop there from April to October every year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In her response, Ms Doumbe said that Nigerians are great travellers and are looking for new destinations, adding that Turkey is perfect.<\/p>\n
She introduced the team as experts to deliver the mandate desired by the Mayor.<\/p>\n
The Mayor of Bodrum presented a book \u201cAtaturk the Founder of Modern Turkey\u201d to the Nigerians.<\/p>\n
The exploratory team, which was invited by Skywings Istanbul, were hosted to a city tour of Istanbul, the city of two continents visiting the European and the Asian sides of Istanbul with stops at the world famous Hagia Sophia of Constantinople.<\/p>\n
The Team from Turkey are expected in Nigeria for a series of road shows to introduce Turkey to Nigerian tour operators and professionals;, a series of Famtrips are also planned to Turkey in the course of the year.<\/p>\n
After facility visits and city tour of Bodrum which included visits to the Castle and the Museum of Halicarnisus, a Former Ancient Wonder of the World, the team departed for Antalya.<\/p>\n
Antalya is the town where Paul the Apostle started his missionary Journey in the Bible.<\/p>\n