A 1,800-year-old Orthodox church located in Marmaris's Kameriye Island will be soon introduced to religious and wedding tourism once the restoration process is finalized. Considered as the second home of Virgin Mary in Turkey, the church will undergo thorough renovation next year. Mehmet Baysal, the head of the Marmaris Chamber of Trade (MTO), told an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter that the project has been approved by the provincial council of monuments. In recent years, religious and wedding tourism have increasingly become an alternative tourism field. Baysal recalled that certain venues such as Phuket Island, the biggest in Thailand, are hot destinations for couples as wedding venues. "Thousands of people visit Phuket Island in a year," he said and added that Orthodox tourists request to get married in church. "Wedding ceremonies are not allowed in the church at the moment. I believe the church will increase tourism potential in the area when its restoration is complete. Baysal said that the church has the potential to become Turkey's second home of Virgin Mary after the one in Ephesus. The church can be accessed after a 20-minute travel by boat from the coastal town of Bozburun in Marmaris. The church attracts hundreds of Orthodox tourists each year. Some tourists light candles while others tie rags to the trees.
