People enjoy canoeing in Igneada, a small Turkish resort town of the Black Sea province of Kirklareli bordering Bulgaria, on July 20, 2021. Igneada has recently regained its fame and become a frequent destination for those who want to spend a safe holiday in nature and enjoy outdoor activities. However, despite the possibility of tourism revival and more job opportunities in the area, the developments have also sparked concern among the residents over the urban development and dense settlement. (Photo by Osman Orsal/Xinhua)
by Zeynep Cermen
ISTANBUL, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Early in the morning, a tour guide set off into the depths of the floodplain forests in northwestern Turkey, guiding four tourists.
"We will travel 8.5 km in the forest and enjoy this incredible nature as much as possible," Tulay Keskin, the guide who also owns a safari tour agency, told her customers.
Keskin has been organizing all-terrain vehicle (ATV) tours in Igneada, a small Turkish resort town of the Black Sea province of Kirklareli bordering Bulgaria.
When the COVID-19 pandemic erupted about one and a half years ago in the country, her business fully stopped like many others in the town with a population of 360,000.
Igneada has recently regained its fame and become a frequent destination for those who want to spend a safe holiday in nature and enjoy outdoor activities.
With astonishing views of a rare ecosystem, the region hosts the country's world-known floodplain forests consisting of five lakes and coastal dunes.
Besides ATV tours, canoeing in the lakes, trekking in the forest, swimming in the Black Sea, and mushroom hunting are among the other activities in the area.
Since Saturday, the village has witnessed a further boom in the number of tourists who come to spend the Eid al-Adha holiday away from the hustle and bustle of big cities.
"The number of people in town has almost tripled," Keskin told Xinhua, noting all the shops and restaurants are filled with tourists, and the influx is expected to continue in the upcoming days.
Keskin recently renewed her seven ATVs to cater to the increasing demands. She paid 35,000 to 38,000 Turkish liras (4,073 to 4,422 U.S. dollars) for each, anticipating her business would shine even further when the pandemic is over.
"I hope that I will soon be able to pay my debts and save some money," said Keskin, pinning her hope on the vaccination efforts against the coronavirus.
Kirklareli has one of the highest inoculation rates in the country, as 77 percent of its population received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A camping resort manager told Xinhua that the area would see some major projects in the upcoming period, such as building a giant artificial lake in the forest with living creatures inside, and a luxurious camping site with a helipad.
"The guests will be able to swim in that lake as they wish," he said.
However, despite the possibility of tourism revival and more job opportunities in the area, these developments have also sparked concern among the residents over the urban development and dense settlement.
"Infrastructure problems have already started to appear in Igneada and its villages. There is a frequent water shortage and growing garbage collection problems," Ergun Goler, an 85-year-old Igneada resident, told Xinhua.
He urged the local government to take immediate measures and collect the trash accumulated in the city center and streets.
Keskin, for her part, noted that the constructions in the forest area aroused their fears over environmental destruction, although the region is protected by the Directorate-General of Nature Protection and National Parks.
"They say that we will not harm nature, but when you build a campsite in the forest, you have to construct infrastructure," she said, adding that the damage will be inevitable. Enditem
