Golf

a representative of a Turkish-based company, Atlas, which has officially signed up to a 49-year lease to operate a golf course on land designated by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The plans are centred on an area of land at Mercimek, which borders the Zonguldakllar estate and close to the Sultan Kent and Konya Kültür housing estates on the Akbük road.

The area covers 173 acres of land on which there will be allocated a clubhouse, an 18-hole golf course and a holiday village with a capacity of 420 beds.

Mr Kinaci, a map engineer based in Milas, confirmed the project would cost $40 million (approximately £20 million) – with the golf course costing close to $10 million.

He said: “I can confirm to Voices Newspaper that Atlas has signed a 49-year lease to operate a golf course and hotel project on the land at Mercimek.



“The project has been put to public consultation and there are no objections.”

He added: “As far as we are concerned, once all the legalities are complete, Atlas will build the first golf course in Didim. It will be a major boost to tourism to the whole area.”

Atlas is a company predominantly in the steel and shipbuilding industries in Turkey. This project is believed to be their first foray into the golf tourism business.

Mr Kinaci said: “We are moving ever closer to reality. We are being extremely cautious as we want to get everything right and ensure that the news we give is accurate, clear and concrete to the public.

“We would not want to raise people’s hopes unnecessarily, but things are beginning to happen.”

He declined to give any time schedule on developing the course or when Atlas hoped to open the golf course and hotel facilities.

Seda Türk, Didim council’s planning department manager, and Meltem Öz, Didim Council’s city planner, confirmed Atlas’ interest was more than just a ‘passing one’. And they confirmed that it would provide a big boost to the tourism of the area.

On a separate note, Mayor Mümın Kamaci said representatives of an unnamed Swedish company had visited Didim council offices this week to look at the potential of building a new golf course in the area.

He said that the company had been given a number of options and they had departed back to Sweden to ‘mull over’ the proposals.

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