Amasra hosted 80 times its population in 8 days

Amasra, the touristic district of Bartın with a population of 6,600, hosted tourists 80 times its population during the 8-day Eid al-Adha holiday. With all accommodation facilities such as hotels, guesthouses, and summer houses reaching 100% occupancy rate, the total number of tourists, including day-trippers, exceeded 500,000. The most visited spot by tourists was the Kemere Bridge, Turkey’s shortest bridge over the sea.
Amasra district, described by Fatih Sultan Mehmet as the ‘apple of the world’ and whose historical castle is listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Temporary List, attracts great interest from domestic and foreign tourists with its history, culture, gastronomy, nature, and sea. Amasra, which has welcomed over 50,000 Russian tourists in the last 3 years through cruise tourism, hosted tourists 80 times its population in the last 8 days. The accommodation facilities in the district with a capacity of 5,060 beds experienced full occupancy of 100% throughout the holiday. Including summer houses and other residences without accommodation permits in the district, a full occupancy rate of 100% was also observed in a total of 8,800 independent sections. According to the records of Amasra District Governorship, there were 120,000 vehicle entries and exits to the district, with 10,000 of these vehicles being tour buses and minibusses. The district, with its virgin bays, historical sites, and beauties integrated with nature, along with its fish-focused culinary culture, attracted holidaymakers’ attention, hosting over 500,000 tourists in 8 days along with day-trippers. The number of tourists hosted in Amasra in the last 6 months has exceeded 1 million.
The Kemere Bridge, which is featured in many TV series, photographs, and video shots in the district, as well as the city museum, Bzotepe Island, and the Weeping Tree area, are the places that tourists primarily visit. The Kemere Bridge, built in the Roman period and connecting the Amasra Castle listed in the UNESCO Temporary Heritage List with Boztepe Island, with a width of 5.89 meters and a length of 26.69 meters, also holds the title of Turkey’s shortest bridge over the sea. Tourists also show interest in Amasra’s historical bazaar and streets, enjoying the sea and sun on the beaches in Tarlaağzı, Bozköy, and Çakraz regions in the town center, along with the magnificent nature. Amasra district, attracting the attention of local tourists from the east to the south of Turkey, also hosts thousands of tourists from the Aegean, Marmara, Mediterranean, and Black Sea regions, despite not having a sea.
Mayor of Amasra, Recai Çakır, stated that they were expecting 500,000 tourists before the Eid al-Adha holiday and that the number of tourists exceeded this expectation slightly. Mayor Çakır, expressing the joy of hosting half a million people smoothly with the joint precautions taken by all public officials in the district, also mentioned that they bid farewell to the visitors happily due to the favorable weather conditions. Çakır noted that the intensity in the district continued on the last day of the holiday, saying, ‘We were expecting 500,000 tourists before the Eid al-Adha holiday, and the number of tourists exceeded 500,000. The number of vehicles entering and exiting the district was recorded as 120,000. Our intensity continues. In the last 6 months, the number of tourists we hosted in the district has exceeded 1 million. We will continue to host our guests in the best way possible during the summer season.’
Local residents mentioned experiencing more intensity during the Ramadan holiday, while those who visited the region and saw the beauties of the district for the first time expressed their admiration, stating that they wanted to visit Amasra again at the first opportunity.
It was noted that efforts are underway to achieve the goal of hosting 3 million local and foreign tourists in Amasra by the end of 2024, following the district welcoming 2.2 million tourists in 2023.