Marmaray tourism

Marmaray tourism: The Project of the Century has brought tourism blessings to the Anatolian Side. With Marmaray, which was flooded by curious tourists, the occupancy rate of the hotels in the region increased by 20 percent. Tourism professionals started daily 'walking tours' to the region

Carrying an average of 110 thousand passengers a day and relieving the traffic of Istanbul to a great extent, Marmaray also energized the tourism in the Anatolian Side. Stating that tourists experience Marmaray because they are curious about the passage from the submarine, tourism professionals stated that 'walking' tours similar to Europe's have started in the region. Indicating that foreign businessmen who prefer to stay in a calm environment turn to the Anatolian Side, hoteliers stated that the occupancy rate has reached 20 percent. Nevzat Ahmet Çelebi, General Manager of Ramada Istanbul Asia Hotel, said that businessmen who did not want to enter the traffic of Istanbul turned to the hotels on the Anatolian Side after the opening of Marmaray. Çelebi said, “They do not want to struggle with traffic and busy schedule. "The Anatolian Side has become an opportunity to stay with the transportation convenience provided by Marmaray." Stating that businessmen come from all over the world, Çelebi said, "The number of foreign nationals staying at the hotel has increased by 10 percent compared to last year."

'CURRENT REQUESTS INCREASES'
Veli Çilsal, Chairman of the Board of Anı Tur, said that Marmaray aroused the curiosity of tourists and was used to experience them. Çilsal said, “Tourists from the Middle East, Balkans and Turkic Republics get on Marmaray to experience the passage under the sea. So curiosity increases demand. This increases the tourism dynamism on the Anatolian side, albeit on a daily basis ”. Emphasizing that Marmaray increased the occupancy rates in the hotels in the region by 20 percent, Çilsal said, “Room prices in Anatolian Side hotels are more affordable than Europe. "Transportation facilities such as Marmaray, metro and metrobus increase the demand here day by day."

'WE START WALKING TOURS'
Antonino Tourism Manager Atilla Tuna said that they started "walking tours" on the Anatolian side with Marmaray. Tuna said, “We organize walking tours for local and foreign tourists in Istanbul at locations such as Beyoğlu, Sultanahmet and Nişantaşı. We have never crossed to the Anatolian Side until now because we did not want the tourists to waste time in traffic on these daily tours. The distance between the opening of Marmaray and the decrease to 5 minutes also encouraged us. Uskudar-Kadıköy We started tours between. We attract great attention, ”he said.