Uludağ, the mountain resort in northwestern Türkiye’s Bursa province best known for winter skiing, is being reorganised to operate as a year-round tourism destination under a conservation-focused plan, the Culture and Tourism Ministry said, as reported on Oct. 14.
The ministry said the work aims to upgrade infrastructure, protect the natural environment and spread tourism beyond the ski season.
Parking, traffic and a 4-kilometre walkway
Designated parking areas are being introduced to stop haphazard parking that has blocked traffic and hampered snow-clearing crews, and vehicle access to the area will be controlled. A pedestrian path of nearly four kilometres, separated from the road, has been created to improve visitor safety.
Existing accommodation zones have been reduced and reorganised. Two former hotel sites covering a combined 6,100 square metres will be converted into cultural facilities once the vacated buildings are demolished, and will host exhibitions, conferences, concerts and other public events. A third hotel site of 5,700 square metres, where evacuation procedures are still under way, is earmarked as a public recreation area.
Sports camps and a management plan
About 19.25 hectares will be set aside for outdoor sports to lengthen the tourism season and to host high-altitude training camps. Thematic areas aimed at raising visitors’ ecological awareness and urban design zones meant to keep new development in line with the mountain’s natural and cultural heritage are also planned.
Structures found to endanger lives or property will be removed after assessments and legal procedures, the ministry said, adding that the measures also target unplanned construction, irregular parking and risks to pedestrians.
Uludağ Area Director Candemir Zoroğlu said the aim was a safe and orderly destination that works all year while keeping its natural character. He stressed that the planning applies only to the zone under the Uludağ Area Directorate’s authority and does not cover the national park.
The next step is an Uludağ Area Management Plan, which will set out rules on environmental cleanliness, ski-slope safety and tourism standards. Officials say the goal is tourism that respects the mountain’s carrying capacity while offering better services in all 12 months of the year.
Sources
Photo: Julian Nyča / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
