Belek, the new tourism centre of Antalya; Belek has the significant advantage of being only about thirty km from Antalya and its international airport. However, this is not Belek's only advantage. There are many first class holiday resorts, some of which are being expanded. Belek has become the centre of golf tourism in Turkey and holds several championship golf courses.
The Belek region is located on the Mediterranean coast. Recently it was chosen by the Tourism Ministry to be a tourism model not just for today's tourist, but also for the tourist of the next thousand years.
The tourism industry in Belek has been very conscious of environmental protection. Those involved in the industry are working with environmental organisations to preserve the marshy area to the east of the forest and the nearby river and to turn the site into a bird sanctuary. The beaches of Belek are an important nesting place for the Caretta caretta turtles, which are conscientiously protected by experts from Hecettepe University. With these projects the Belek Tourism Centre has won the British Airways Tourism For Tomorrow Award.
Belek has sea, sand, sun, forest and golf. Belek has grown to be the biggest golf centre in Turkey, boasting with over 15 courses, with many new courses on the way. Most of the courses have wonderful hotel and other accommodation facilities on site. Belek's courses blend in with ocean vistas and the surrounding forest. The pines in the Belek forest are unlike other local species. As the forest is not very dense, it is easy to take a walk through beneath the trees or go horse back riding. There are many horse ranches in Belek that provide lessons.
Many of the hotels and holiday resorts in Belek provide a verity of entertainment and sporting activities. Belek is also in close proximity to the ancient sites of Aspendos, Sillyon, Cayon and Selge. The ancient city of Sillyon is only six km north of Belek and Aspendos is eighteen km from Belek.
Belek's natural beauty was discovered in 1984 and the region was proclaimed the "Belek Tourism Centre". In later years, Belek became what it is today, a paradise on earth, thanks to cooperation between the Belek Tourism Investors Association and the Tourism Ministry. A true paradise for all, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, in the midst of its own pine forest.
Additional Information
- Approximately four hours from London by air.
- Three hundred days of sunshine.
- Average sea temperature: +22ºC
- Average humidity: 55%
- Approximately 30 minutes from the Airport and Antalya to Belek centre.
From Antalya:
- Istanbul by air; 55 minutes
- Izmir by air; 1 hour