Turkey's winter tourism attracts visitors

ANKARA

Turkey has started to attract thousands of domestic and foreign tourists also in with the beginning of New Year.

Several provinces in Turkey offer various choices for winter tourism.

Kartalkaya ski resort gains visitors’ attention

Kartalkaya, one of Turkey’s most popular ski tourism centers in northwestern region, attracts thousands of local and foreign tourists.

Kartalkaya ski resort, with the total area of 70 kilometers (43 miles) and 25 different tracks, lies at Koroglu Mountains in northern Black Sea region of Bolu province.

The resort -- which is located at around 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the city center of Bolu, 186 kilometers (115 miles) from the capital Ankara and 263 kilometers (163 miles) from Istanbul -- is in the summit of Koroglu Mountains, with an elevation of 2,200 meters (7,218 feet).

The holidaymakers, who travel to the resort using Anadolu motorway and D-100 highway, can catch a chance to witness mesmerizing natural beauty of Kindira village and snow-covered forest.

Sarialan Plateau in foothills of the ski resort charms visitors with its houses and natural beauty. Five hotels with 2,000 beds offer comfortable fun holiday.

A total of 113,489 visitors, including foreigners, visited the ski resort in 2016.

The tourists can enjoy skiing and snowboarding there, while those who don’t bring their equipment with them can rent it from hotels.

The visitors can also take skiing lessons from instructors.

The hotels also provide night skiing to the tourists. They also offer live music, animations, and various attractions for holidaymakers who prefer to stay in hotels instead of skiing.

The hotels also offer various activities for children. In the resort, there are many tracks and playground for children. They can also take skiing lessons from the trainers.

Yalova offers healing to visitors

Yalova, a centuries-old center of healing with its thermal spas, is one of the most prominent thermal tourism destinations of Anatolia.

Located in northwestern Turkey to the southeast of Istanbul, Yalova is particularly popular with Arab tourists. It has a total of 18 thermal facilities with a bed capacity of over 13,000. Five more facilities that are to be opened in the near future will mean 2,800 extra beds.

A center of healing for several civilizations since the Roman Empire, Yalova’s thermal spas attracted nearly one million local and foreign tourists in 2017.

Locals call the hot springs “an elixir of youth and life” due to their healing powers. Believed to be good for many ailments, the hot springs have been used to treat rheumatism, muscle and joint pain as well as a number of internal diseases. 

Mud baths, salt rooms, beauty salons, sports centers, and aqua parks are among the facilities Yalova offers to its visitors.

Visitors throng Palandoken's ski resorts

The Palandoken Ski Center in eastern Erzurum province continues to be a hot spot for skiing fans following heavy snowfall in the area. 

The center has seen over 30 centimeters of snow due to heavy snowfall, attracting large number of tourists during and after the New Year. 

Families from young to elderly, local to foreign visitors, are enjoying the long winter season by tobogganing, skiing and snowboarding. 

Sway Hotel Deputy Manager Omer Akca told Anadolu Agency his hotel was 100 percent full.

Palandoken is Turkey's easiest accessible ski resort, located approximately 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Erzurum Airport.

Palandoken is an hour from capital Ankara via airplane and nearly an-hour-and-a-half from Istanbul and Izmir, Akca said.

"It takes a maximum of 15 minutes to get to the ski resort from Erzurum airport. This is not only a privilege for Palandoken but also for Erzurum," he said. 

He said Palandoken also has one of the longest natural ski tracks in the world. 

"One of the most significant characteristics of Palandoken is that it is Turkey's only ski resort that guarantees snow. Both with investments and artificial snow system made by the government in 2011 and by the private sector, Palandoken provides ski and snow guarantee for 120 days starting from Dec. 1 to March 30," he said. 

Palandoken provides opportunity for night skiing via its world-standard lighting system and many new facilities like ski jumping ramps and shooting ramps for the biathlon, he said.

Lake Cildir to host 5th int'l winter festival

Lake Cildir, the second largest lake of the eastern Anatolian region, is preparing to bring back the old Turkish traditions in an annual international winter festival in February.

The 5th International Cildir Crystal Lake Festival will be held in Cildir district of Ardahan on Feb. 10.

"We invite everyone to Cildir on Feb. 10. The lake will come to life with the festival which includes events such as horse-drawn sleigh rides [on the frozen lake], mounted archery, javelin throw and wrestling," Mayor Yakup Azizoglu told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Describing the lake as a significant tourism center, Azizoglu noted an increase in the number of tourist reservations for the festival.

"There will be a high level of participation, including domestic and foreign tourists. We have received a large number of reservations," he said.

The winter festival, which was launched in 2013 in an attempt to promote winter tourism in the region, is expected to attract a large number of visitors to the area.

Antalya to host EuroHockey Indoor Championship

Antalya will host three-day Men’s EuroHockey Indoor Championship, starting from Jan. 12, Turkish Hockey Federation said on Friday.

Eight teams are divided in two groups, Turkish Hockey Federation said in a statement.

Host nation Turkey, Netherlands, Portugal and Ukraine are in Group A; while England, Croatia, Italy and Sweden are placed in Group B, the statement said.

The tournament’s first match will be played between Italy and Sweden on Jan. 12 in Ataturk Stadium in Alanya district of Antalya.