In this weeks round up of the local news UN supported clean up project reaches our shores, tourists numbers, a murder, a call to ban the all inclusive holiday trade and cameras to promote the area.

Keep the Mediterranean Clean

A project called ‘Keep the Mediterranean Clean’, supported by the United Nations, made a local appearance this week in Göcek. 

The Turkish wing of the project, TURMEPA, has an office in Fethiye and students from Fethiye, Ortaca and Göcek took part in a one-day intensive cleanup of the bays around Göcek, whilst around 40 volunteer divers cleaned the sea bed. 

Long may it continue say we.......

Bumper Year for Tourists?

Meanwhile Mr Altıparmak (Sixfingers), the Governor of Muğla, announced that visitors entering the province through the various sea ports and airports were 4% down on last year up to the end of May. 

Given the current global recession he was pleased with this figure but, figures for the month of May alone show a 12% increase on last year – and he is overjoyed about that. 

Could this be the bumper year for tourism that local hoteliers and traders have been dreaming about?

Gangster Paradise

In the early hours of Friday morning a car stopped outside a bar on the main road alongside the bay. 

A young man came out of the bar and, leaning into the car, stabbed one of the passengers with a knife. 

The victim responded by getting out of the car with a shotgun, shooting his attacker three times and killing him. 

Then he and the other two men in the car ran off. 

They were later arrested in their homes. 

It’s amazing what happens in Fethiye long after most of us are in our beds.

Ban All-Inclusives!

The Director of Muğla’s Chamber of Trade and Industry has started a petition to ban cheap all-inclusive holidays and the Fethiye branch of the organisation is fully supportive of this initiative. 

Apparently hotels get as little as 5 euros per person per day from the tour companies who handle bookings for these holidays, hence they are losing money hand over fist. 

Unlike the old b & b system where they could rely on guests paying for drinks and some meals in the hotel to make their profits, the all-inclusive system relies on guests ordering imported drinks or drinks after 11pm which, along with extras such as massage or hair and beauty treatments, are the only things not covered by the all-inclusive tariff. 

Add to this the fact that most guests rarely, if ever, leave the hotel complex thus denying themselves any contact with the beauty of this country and its people, and we say we hope the petition succeeds.

Cameras to Promote the Area

TRT television, the Turkish state radio and television broadcasting body, will install cameras in and around the Fethiye area.

The images will be broadcast on the internet worldwide.

The Fethiye mayor believes this will improve tourism as people will see our lovely town and want to visit.