Turkey's ski resort listed as top European destination

By Murat Asil

KAYSERI, Turkey (AA) - The Erciyes Ski Resort in central Turkey will be included in the prestigious European Destinations of Excellence Network (EDEN) for sustainable tourism.

The resort in Kayseri province was among the top five destinations from the 30 entries from Turkey, according to a statement from the local municipality on Wednesday.

The cities of Afyonkarahisar, Ankara, Izmir and Balikesir are also to be listed in EDEN.

"The EDEN promotes a new way to travel in Europe, drawing the value and the diversity of emerging European tourist destinations. Visitors will experience the real country and culture as it is lived every day, not cultural shows and tourism experiences that have been specifically developed for visitors," according to the group's website.

The Erciyes Ski Resort was also recently certified by Bureau Veritas, a company specialized in testing, inspection and certification, for having taken all precautionary measures against the spread of coronavirus.

Also, Erciyes is the first and only ski center so far in the world which has the Safe Ski Resort certification, a statement from the management of resort said.

*Writing and contributions by Merve Aydogan in Ankara.