Blue voyage in Gökova

Famous for its natural beauties, the coves of Gökova in the Aegean city of Muğla are a destination for both local and foreign tourists who wish to take one of the famous blue cruises.

Also know as blue voyage, the cruise takes passengers along the southwestern coast of Turkey on a traditional wooden boat called a gulet. “100,000 tourists go on a blue cruise in a year,” said Ahmet Çalca, the mayor of Akyaka, one of the tourist spots in the gulf of Gökova.

Çalca said that thanks to daily boat tours, tourists in the gulf of Gökova had the opportunity to visit the underwater cave, Tavşanlı cove, İncekum beach, Zeytinli cove, Sedir Island, Lacivert, Okluk and Akbük coves. Noting that tourists were stirred by the untouched nature of Gökova,, Çalca said, “We try to supply the best service to tourists. They meet their needs on the boat or during the breaks in coves. We provide them with the comfort of a five-star hotel.”

He said private and tour boats, which offer the blue cruise services, also contributed to the region's economy, adding, “Locals and tourists going on tours revive the economy. We do our best to for tourists to feel at home.”

100,000 people join blue voyage annually

Dağlar Gökovalı, the manager of the Akyaka Sea Motor Vehicle Tour, said they had been organizing blue cruise tours for 10 years. Stating that they organized two types of programs, daily and long tours, Gökovalı said they introduced unique coves and underwater caves of Gökova to tourists.

He said the long tours were organized in July and August, and continued, “Locals and tourists show great interest in blue cruise in Gökova. Domestic tourism gains speed when the schools are closed. More local groups come during June and August. Thanks to our communication with travel agencies, groups from the Russian and Baltic markets come to the region beginning in May.”

He said tours in the gulf of Gökova begin in June and continue until the end of October. “We have nine boats in different capacities. There is a high degree of interest, especially in July and August. Every season we introduce unique blue coves of Gökova to nearly 100,000 tourists.”

Inform,June 2008