Foreign investors have shown an interest in the tender to be held for the French Holiday Resort "Club Med Foça," one of the oldest tourism facilities in Turkey that has been closed for 13 years, Mehmet İşler, the head of the Aegean Tourist Businesses and Accommodation Association (ETİK), said yesterday.
The Club Med Foça, one of the first resorts in Turkey, opened in 1967 with 330 rooms and 690 beds. The holiday resort, which made important contributions to the development of tourism in the country during the period it served, closed its doors November 2005.
With a size of approximately 13 football fields, the holiday resort went out to tender from time to time, failing to find a buyer. Having decided to hold a tender for granting the right to operate the facility for 49 years to help contribute to tourism, the Privatization Administration has enabled interested investors to submit their applications until July 20, 2018.
In a statement to the Anadolu Agency (AA), ETİK Chairman Mehmet İşler pointed out that the French Holiday Resort has a historical significance for the tourism sector.
Noting that the grounds of the concept of "resort tourism" were laid with this facility, and that thousands of people who worked in this establishment over the years learned tourism and started to apply it in other regions, İşler said, "Therefore, this facility is not only a resort but also an important center of Turkish tourism in terms of its historical value."
İşler recalled that the facility went out to tender in 2008 but failed to find a buyer. "Our state included it within the scope of privatization once again and added an additional item to the tender for not only sales, but also for its operation and lease," İşler said, adding that they also paved the way for the facility to be given to associations and foundations. "As a result of the privatization, this place needs a tourism-oriented operation. It is in one of the rare corners of Turkey that is untouched and beautiful in its nature," he said and added that there arecompanies interested in this place, as well as countries such as Spain.
Stressing that the French holiday resort will revive İzmir tourism, İşler said they are looking forward to opening the facility once again.
Attracting attention with its clean sea in addition to its natural beauty, the resort is now hosting street animals and wildlife. With snakes and frogs swimming in its pool, broken windows and ivy-mantled buildings, it is waiting for buyers to return to its former glory.
