LocationsSupport from ‘Future is in Tourism’ for combating forest fires in Muğla
August 29, 2022
Within the activities of ‘Future is in Tourism’ in Muğla province, 3-ton water tanks were installed in Köyceğiz Sultaniye and Akyaka Forest Camp to support quick response to forest fires.
Future is in Tourism, the first sustainable tourism programme in Türkiye, shifted its focus this year to Muğla province, one of the Turkish regions hardest hit by last year’s forest fires
Future is in Tourism, which is implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Anadolu Efes, started its new phase activities in Köyceğiz and Akyaka with training on sustainable tourism aiming to support the social and economic recovery of Muğla province adversely impacted by forest fires.
The forest fires that occurred during the last two years underlined the necessity of building disaster resilient tourism models for combating the impacts posed by the climate crisis. Considering this hot issue, in its 15th year, Future is in Tourism shifted its focus to Muğla.
Recognizing the heightened threat to tourism posed by climate-driven disasters, tourism enterprises and residents in Akyaka and Köyceğiz were given training on combating forest fires and other natural disasters.
The training sessions will continue with themes such as sustainable tourism, tourism certification, cultural heritage, how to be a responsible tourist, destination management, responsible production and consumption, forest fires, disaster preparedness, and disaster risk reduction.
Additionally, 3-ton water tanks were installed in Köyceğiz Sultaniye and Akyaka Forest Camp, areas selected in consultation with the public institutions in the region, to support quick response to forest fires.
In this new phase of the project, 5 new alternative tourism routes will be developed in Muğla; and mentoring and employment support will be provided to at least 50 women-led tourism businesses. Also, grants, mentoring and communication support will be given to women entrepreneurs who want to be part of the sustainable tourism ecosystem in the region. In addition, a gender equality action plan will be prepared.
Future is in Tourism has invested US$2 million in Türkiye over 15 years as a pioneer programme on sustainable tourism.
