Major project set to push Black Sea as new scenic tourist destination

Turkey's Black Sea region is preparing to position itself as a major center for alternative tourism seekers in the years to come. Under the government-sponsored Eastern Black Sea Tourism Master Plan, the Black Sea region is set to emerge as a major rival to Switzerland's Davos, which annually hosts World Economic Forum meetings, with its tableland tourism scattering across eight cities along the Black Sea coast. Much of the infrastructure work for the project has been completed, and the project will be launched next year. The project is hoped to attract 2 million tourists to the region every year, along the way creating 150,000 new job opportunities. The master plan involves eight Black Sea provinces, from Samsun to Artvin. Under the project, regional tablelands will be connected to each other through alternative roads. Along these roads, accommodation, refreshment and winter sports facilities will be built, so giving travelers the opportunity to bypass the Black Sea coastal highway in favor of enjoying little-known natural assets of the thickly forested region. Caravan parking and camping areas will also be offered along those roads. The project places great importance on protecting the ecology of the region, and the facilities will be constructed in line with the features of local architecture.