Daily boat tours to the Aegean’s blue coves are one of the most preferred attractions for foreign and local tourists in the coastal town of Bodrum in the western province of Mugla.
Organized tours to the coves in the district, such as Akvaryum, Dalgic, Haremtan and Poyraz, start early in the morning. The Bodrum gullets, which look like pirate ships, take holiday-goers from Kumbahce Harbour.
Kumbahce Cooperative Sea Vehicle Transportation head Vahap Ozkan said interest in blue cove voyage tours within the district increases every other day. He said they take approximately 1,000 people on blue cove voyage tours daily, adding, “We mostly carry local tourists. The number of tourists reaches 190,000 throughout a season. We operate 14 blue cove voyage tours a day.” Ozkan said the tours’ unique pirate boats, which were brought from Antalya, were what drew the attention of tourists the most. Speaking of the positive impact these boats make on tourism, he said, “These boats are very good for the promotion of Bodrum and our cooperation. We also host tourists from many other regions besides Bodrum. People leave happy.”
The owner of a boat named Tora 3, Hakan Emir, said Orak Island was among the most beautiful coves in Bodrum. “This is a place worth seeing in Turkey. The white sand is magnificent. Each part of Bodrum has a unique beauty. There are many coves, like Karaada, Meteor Cukuru, Poyraz Koy and Tavşan Burnu,” he said. Emir said Bodrum’s sea was also unique in Turkey, adding, “Even though we mostly host local tourists, we have hosts from Germany, Russia, the Netherlands and England. We do our best to promote blue voyages.”
The owner of the boat Dark Angel, Sabri Yuksel, said they were very pleased with the tourism season this year. He said that Bodrum’s coves were very popular, and continued: “People come to see Bodrum’s beauty and its clean sea. We take tourists to five different coves a day. We spend an hour in every cove. People show great interest in pirate boats.”
Source: Daily Hurriyet
