‘TRNC can actually go beyond mass tourism’
“PROTECTING our nature means protecting our culture.”
This was the message from President Mustafa Akıncı, who added in a speech at Tatlısu’s Third Ot (Plant) Culture Festival on Sunday: “Protecting our past is protecting our future and thus saving our future.”
His words were echoed by Prime Minister Tufan Erhürman, who called for a “different approach” to tourism.
He told the official opening: “The TRNC can actually go beyond mass tourism and generate a wider range of income through niche tourism to include areas and events such as this, because Tatlısu has history, nature, gastronomy and culture.”
The two leaders were among crowds at the municipality-organised festival which featured stalls selling a range of local produce and handicrafts, a song and poetry duet by Arif Albayrak and Mustafa Tozaki along with a concert by Band Baria and Barış Manço’s renowned group, Kurtalan Ekspres.
Dr Erhürman was also among VIP visitors to the eighth Traditional Hisarköy Orchid Festival at the weekend, organised by Lapta Municipality in conjunction with the village muhtar and Hisarköy Culture and Sport Association.
In his opening speech, Dr Erhürman emphasised the importance of regional development in areas such as Lapta, Hisarköy, Ozanköy, Kalkanlı, Çamlıbel and Yeşilırmak.
“Our national attraction is not gambling or our sunny weather, nor our sandy beaches and sea but our cultural identity,” he said.
“The more we represent that identity, the more successful we will be in tourism.
“If we can have big hotels in Girne and Gazimağusa then we can also have alternative tourism in Lapta, towards Yeşilırmak, and in Bafra, towards Dipkarpaz. We have to follow a slightly different approach in tourism . . . so that our country will no longer be seen as a place to gamble, but as a place of culture, productivity, humanity and nature for anyone to visit and experience.”
Sunday also saw hundreds of nature enthusiasts explore wild flowers along a 6.7km route in Lefke’s eighth Orchid Walk, organised by the DenizliGemikonağı Development Association.