Antalya, the apple of the eye of Turkish tourism, will host the Türkiye Culture Road Festival with a wide program ranging from concerts to exhibitions, opera and ballet to traditional arts for 9 days.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy opened the Antalya Culture Road Festival and announced the festival program, completed and ongoing investments in the city and new projects regarding the future of Antalya tourism.
Antalya Governor Hulusi Şahin, AK Party Antalya MPs Kemal Çelik, Mustafa Köse, İbrahim Ethem Taş and Tuba Vural Çokal attended the opening of the festival, which was held for the fourth time this year.
Minister Ersoy stated that Antalya met again under the umbrella of the Turkey Culture Road Festival, which offers culture and art, knowledge and entertainment, traditional and universal together, and said that the organization has become one of the most comprehensive, most attended and most popular festivals in the world.
Explaining that they have carried the festival brand they brought to Turkey to 26 cities this year, and that the culture and art program, which lasts approximately 8 months, will reach 32 cities next year, Ersoy emphasized that the festival will continue to contribute to the domestic tourism movement and local economies while bringing together people of all ages and walks of life.
440 Events, Over 60 Taste Stops in Antalya
Ersoy made the following statements regarding the scope of the festival in Antalya:
"We will organize more than 440 events in more than 40 venues for Antalya. We have also identified 85 taste stops. We will present the taste difference of Turkish cuisine, which has a special place in the Mediterranean cuisine with the strong influence of the nomad culture, to the palate's experience."
Stating that the main stage of the festival will be set up in Konyaaltı Beach Park, Minister Ersoy said that music lovers will meet with the concerts of Simge, Poizi, Sefo, Gökhan Türkmen, Ebru Yaşar, Demet Akalın and Hakan Altun.
Ersoy stated that in the performing arts program, Anna Karenina, which tells about a life struggle laced with loyalty, passion and jealousy, and ballet interpretations of Carmina Burana, with its texts about nature and love, will meet art lovers, and stated that in the opera Attila, the birth of a new city will be brought to the stage in the shadow of a conqueror who shapes history and civilizations.
Referring to the exhibitions within the scope of the festival, Ersoy stated that the Sacred Relics of the Ottoman exhibition will open a special door to the spiritual world of the Ottoman Empire through sacred relics, Kaaba covers and copies of the Holy Quran.
Antalya's Living Heritage Will Come to Life in the Hands of Masters
Stating that traditional values and applications of Turkish culture reflected in art will be presented to visitors in the Living Heritage Antalya exhibition, Minister Ersoy announced that the works of masters recognized by the Ministry as Carriers of Intangible Cultural Heritage will be exhibited.
Stating that traditional arts such as filigree, glass and wood works, rug and carpet weaving, pottery, tile making, felt, marbling, illumination and miniature will take place at the festival, Ersoy said that visitors will be able to experience not only works of art, but also the knowledge, skills, perception and understanding that have been transferred for centuries.
Stating that workshops, short film screenings and a conversation on Buttoned Houses will be held in the Living Heritage program, Ersoy stated that the festival will contribute to the narration, survival and protection of traditional values.
Inviting art lovers to the Three Painters exhibition, Minister Ersoy stated that works combining the different artistic approaches of Alaeddin Aksoy, Mehmet Güleryüz and Komet from Mustafa Taviloğlu's collection will be presented to visitors. He emphasized that this collection, created with Taviloğlu's passion for art, offers a rich art experience.
Flavors of Antalya Will Be Carried from the Taurus Mountains to the Mediterranean Coasts
Describing gastronomy as one of the areas they attach great importance to, Minister Ersoy said that they are working to bring Turkish cuisine to the position it deserves in the world and increase its global awareness.
Stating that they evaluated the Türkiye Culture Road Festival as a showcase in line with this goal, Ersoy stated that they offer visitors the opportunity to experience the culinary riches of cities and regions with the flavors prepared by the chefs.
Explaining that chef Mehmet Akdağ will host the Antalya gastronomy program, Ersoy said that Antalya, Korkuteli, Elmalı, Gömbe, Finike, Beycik and Kaş routes as well as Manavgat and Alanya routes have been created. Ersoy stated that dishes that combine traditional culinary culture with contemporary gastronomy will be served at designated taste points.
Stating that the festival will include more than 10 concerts, more than 30 exhibitions and installations, nearly 30 workshops, as well as trips, photography activities and programs that bring together culture, art, entertainment and learning for children, Minister Ersoy invited all Antalya residents with their families to the festival.
Minister Ersoy Announced the Investments Made in Antalya
Minister Ersoy said that the work they carry out to prepare Antalya for the future aims to create significant differences in the sociocultural and socioeconomic lives of citizens by evaluating the tourism potential of the city in the most accurate way, and made statements about investments in the city.
Stating that they opened the İbradı Ormana Cultural Center with an investment of 87 million liras, Ersoy announced that they provided a total of 11.1 million liras of support to 4 projects within the scope of the Support for Public Cultural Investments Project.
Stating that they completed the Serik 2 Wastewater Treatment Facility and Boğazkent Pumping Center and promotion works in 2022, and the Kemer-Çamyuva Wastewater Treatment and Connected Infrastructure Facilities in 2024, in order to strengthen the infrastructure of Antalya, Ersoy stated that the total cost of these investments reached 8 billion liras.
Ersoy stated that in addition to the additional sewerage promotion line and related infrastructure facilities that will cover Kocayatak and Çandır neighborhoods, the works to add 2 final sedimentation pools and disinfection units to Serik 2 Wastewater Treatment Plant are continuing, he said that these works are aimed to be completed by the end of the month.
He also noted that 14 free public beaches in Antalya, which offer 5-star facility quality service, were opened to the use of citizens.
Archeology Support to Antalya's History Exceeding 1 Billion Liras
Minister Ersoy, who also explained the works for the protection of Antalya's cultural heritage, said that 24 projects and 101 implementation works were completed between 2018-2026 through the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, and 9 projects and 9 implementation works are continuing.
Minister Ersoy made the following statements regarding the work within the scope of the Heritage to the Future Project:
“Within the scope of Heritage to the Future, the largest project in our archeology history, we are carrying out work in 26 archaeological sites in Antalya as of 2024. In this direction, we have transferred more than 1 billion 60 million lira for excavation and simple repair works in the 2024-2026 period.”
Ersoy stated that 14 projects have been completed in order to create the scientific infrastructure of conservation and restoration works in archaeological areas and to meet visitor needs, and 7 projects are continuing.
Stating that they opened Antalya Ethnography, Mevlevi Lodge, Necropolis, Alanya Atatürk House and Lycian Civilizations museums and Side Arif Müfid Mansel Archeology Museum in the last 8 years, Ersoy said that 6 of the 8 conservation zoning plan studies carried out in Antalya since 2018 have been completed, and the remaining 2 studies are being worked on with precision.
Minister Ersoy stated that they made all these investments in order to increase Antalya's share in world tourism, protect its cultural heritage, preserve it and carry it to the future, and emphasized that they will continue their work with the same determination and determination.
Ersoy's Emphasis on the Crisis-Resistant Sector in Tourism
Pointing out the importance of the goal of expanding Turkish tourism to 12 months and 81 provinces, Minister Ersoy said that market diversity should be increased, products and services that will meet the expectations of different markets should be developed and a sustainable tourism ecosystem should be created.
Stating that by achieving this goal, a crisis-resistant tourism sector, which is one of the basic needs of world tourism, will be created, Ersoy stated that institutional structures such as the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), investments on city and regional basis, and the standards reached in the fields of facilities, personnel, transportation, promotion and sustainability are important steps taken towards this goal.
Stating that Turkey has gained resistance against crises in tourism in the face of developments from the Thomas Cook crisis to the Covid-19 epidemic, from the Russia-Ukraine war to the Iran-Israel-US conflicts, Ersoy said that they continue to work to further strengthen this resistance.
A New Era for Congress and Fair Tourism in Antalya EXPO Area
At the end of his speech, Minister Ersoy announced an important project for the future of Antalya tourism and M.I.C.E., which stands for the city's meeting, incentive travel, congress and event tourism. announced that they aim to make it one of the most popular destinations in the world.
Stating that they are preparing Antalya for the future with culture and tourism investments, as well as airport capacity increase and road transportation studies carried out with other ministries, Ersoy said that the new project will make a significant contribution to the tourism potential of the city.
Minister Ersoy announced that the EXPO area will be evaluated in terms of congress and fair tourism after the organization in Antalya, which will host the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change between 9-20 November, and stated that they aim to strengthen the city's position in tourism with the new project.
Regarding the project, which he announced as a new tourism move for Antalya, Minister Ersoy said:
"After hosting this major international organization, we are going to a new structure consisting of professionals that we will establish under the umbrella of TGA to realize one of Turkey's largest and most important fair, congress and event centers in the Antalya EXPO area. We will add dynamism to the winter and spring periods by creating a world-scale and very high-quality center for congress and fair tourism, which is an important need of Antalya tourism."
Stating that he believes that the project in question will make significant contributions not only to congress and fair tourism but also to Antalya's social, cultural and artistic life, Minister Ersoy emphasized that the new support mechanism to be created for the tourism sector will make a serious difference and wished that the project would be beneficial for Turkey and Antalya.
