Discovering Turkey > Golfer's Paradise Belek - Antalya

Welcome to Belek, Antalya - The Golf Capital of Turkey!
   
  Enjoying the advantage of a short transfer time from the Antalya International Airport, Belek is a selected region that has carefully been designed for taking the full advantaNature, Beach, Congress, Football, Tennis and Golf Tourism.
  
  The increase in the number of foreign visitors visiting this fabulous holiday resort is making this an  investment zone  with very high potentials for holiday makers and investors alike.  This past year  the numbers get even higher by many discovering Europeans.
   
  Over the past few years, this glowing star of a holiday resort has pushed harder and harder to be placed 1st amongst all other selected holiday regions. Today the stars shine its brightest by Belek earning a name brand with its popularity and presents a new face to the of Turkish Golf Tourism in Turkey. The Ministry of Tourism has declared Belek as the 'Tourism Center for the next 1,000 years' due to its unmatchable natural surrounding and beauties along wit hthe touristic facilities that are of the finest quaity and are available for each visitor's personal convenience.
  
  Belek is a fast and highly developing holiday and golf resort that has doubled commercial investments, public amenities and residential zones in a very short period of time.  When people think of Belek, they only think of Belek.  But in actual fact, the Belek region consists of the towns of Kadriye and Serik.  serik is the main district for the towns of Kadriye and Belek.  The locations of the Golf courses and hotels are split between the towns of Kadriye and Belek, and not just Belek alone.  But for tourism purposes, the government has chosen to introduce this region as Belek.  The booming real estate industry has set off a building explosion amongst the twin towns of Kadriye and Belek.  These towns were once quaint little villages practicing mainly agriculture as a major source of income.

 It was also a place where Turkish people could travel from other cities, to spend their vacations along the luxuiant coastline.  today this is an elite area conveniently situated as the first and closest holiday and beach resort from Antalya and the Antalya International Airport.
  
  Belek offers everything you could imagine, compared to other holiday regions, but also offers awide range of golfing and convention tourism thus making the area unique when compared to similar areas.  This is one of the rare places on earth where you can enjoy wonderful sunshine 300 days in a year along with the wonders of Turkey.  The region consists of a beach of about 29.5 km between River Aksu on the west and the River Sarisu on the east.  The Belek region is very rich in flora and fauna as it hosts various habitats with different characteristics such as forest, river, stream, agricultural areas, aquatic habitats and sand dunes.   While five-star tourism establishments, summerhouses and arbors occupy an important portion of the beach; there is no construction in one part.  For the most part, the region is under protection regulations such as "Belek Specialy Protected Area" and "First Degree Natural Site".  Number of nests determined during the last two years, have revealed  that fact that t he Belek region is the second largest known nesting area for sea turtles after the Zakynthos Island of Greece.  This result puts forward the strong need of paying more attention to the conservation studies in the region in order to preserve the sea turtles as one of Turkey's important biological riches as well as to fulfill the responsibilities that have been overtaken in terms of signing international conventions.
  
  The year 2007 leads Belek Tourism Centre to function as Antalya's new tourism 'hub' connecting a new phase inter-district shoreline routes, whereby connecting 60 km from the west coast beaches of Kundu, Lara, and Antalya City through to the Konyaalti Beach, and another 160 km from the east coast to Manavgat, Side and Alanya, thus changing the old road map.

This estimated billion dollar project will inevitably bring a vast change in the area while linking the most popular southern beaches and resorts through Belek. This is a project that will bridge over dozens of new communities providing the highest yields of property gains.
  
  It's a great time to invest, ' before you miss the boat' and right place if you intend to invest to a near prosperous future.
  
  The high volume traffic of Antalya International Airport last summer hosted more than 50,000 visitors daily, breaking new records of nearly 600 flights per day; never seen before.  The second  International Terminal that opened last summer and offerred service added to this amazing flow of people flooding the area.  Moreover a third and fourth terminal will add to this astonishing increase.  Nearly 70 of this airport traffic is expected to shift to the upcoming inter-link coastal route, dependant on the Belek holiday and golf resorts forcefully reaching out to the highest popularity in a short span of time and as a result implementing more unforeseen projects that the future leads the area to.
  
  The heart of the region, Kadriye is a newly developing and fast growing town with palm lined streets and a population of 13,000 people.  The charming town of Belek is 3 km east of Kadriye and has a population of 9,000 people. This highly developing town is surrounded by newly built arches made in a historical style offering a similar attractiveness to that of Kadriye.  The designing of the town gives its visitors a sense of history and the ancient past with the convenience of modernity.  Both the towns offer a large variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment with festivals held periodically al the year round and more events and activities.  The town public transportation is a convenient, cheap and popular way to get around for those who enjoy scenic views along the main road surrounded by forests.  The area is also wonderful for bikers who can peddle down the roads while breathing in the fresh mountain, sea and forest air.
  
  Since last year both Municipalities of Kadriye and Belek have worked hard to add finer touches to the area.  Similarly hard work carries on; ensuring security and public conveniences.  Today works still continue at a steady pace, extending more new streets and upgrading the infrastructure at the same time.  All this work creates a lot of possibilities for fast growing residential areas.
  
  A new project development along the Acisu river between Kadriye and Belek has started.  The Acisu River main road is planned to be the 2nd main road, within the area, starting off at the entrance of the town of Kadriye and following along the river all the way to Belek.  This new and exciting tourism and lifestyle project will offer scenic boat tours overlooking the spectacular Taurus Mountains.  A separate road alongside  the river bank will be built for pedestrians strolling to enjoy the peaceful views, joggers, and cyclists.  Fine restaurants, bars parks and recreation centres and much more will be coming in the near future.
  
  Ever since the project to beautify the region has been approved and supported by the Turkish Government, it has been a trend amongst foreigners to buy riverside property consisting of attractive holiday villas and apartments or build custom homes along this area.
  
  Nationals of Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and Netherlands are among the most popular nationalities, to purchase real estate here.  Last year alone this increase was well over 40 compared to the year before. A lot of daily property purchases of villas, apartments, golf land and custom build villas has been never been so before.
  
  From an investment point of view, looking back 10 to 12 years ago, all you could find in Belek and Kadriye were the occasional Turkish cooperative holiday homes, more so on the Kadriye side.  These villas were built as affordable summer homes for the Turkish vacationers, who would come to spend time during their summer vacations, from big cities such as Istanbul and Ankara.  Other than that it was not very populated. Then 4 to 5 years later, a golf course was built; The National Golf Club.  soon after the news of a new golf course being built was heard, the hotel chains began investing and building.  Subsequently, the town slowly began developing and more cooperative homes were constructed.  Since this time, over 38 five star hotels and resorts have surfaced, with another 6 more arising.  Land that was once considered of not much value is now very hard to find at what was once know as "cheap" although it is still considerably reasonable than most places in and around Europe.
  
  At the start of 2005, the 2 or 3 bedroom cooperative villas that could once be purchased at 5,000 €, 10-15 years ago, became valued at as low as 40,000 €, and within a year, now carry a higher market value of 85,000 €.  The building boom for new residential and commercial projects also began, in order to supply the large demand of foreign investment.  Luxurious golf villas began to surface at starting prices of 150,000 €, reaching prices of up to 50,000 €.  There are currently over 30 residential projects alone between Belek and Kadriye, and more in the planning stages.  If this isn't a property boom, what is?
  
  It is fair to state that this advantageous rise in property value is very good for another 3 or so more years.  But the general business of investment and the development of the region will still be strong for another 5 to 10 years.  Needless to say, it is a great time to consider investing in a rapidly developing golfing region.  The prices have been escalating at a 30 to 40 per cent increase per annum since 2003.
  
  Some of the features of the resort are the 5 championship Golf Clubs (3 - 27  hole and 3 - 18 hole), 38 five star hotels and holiday villages consisting of a 35,000 bed capacity.  During summers the area hosts a population of 70,000 visitors, ranking #1 well over many other towns around.  Some of the new golf course projects planned in the region are expected to be completed by the end of year 2007. There are presently 5 golf clubs available in the Belek region and 6 more under new development.  The area will eventually be enriched with a total of 18 different golf clubs. The 130 million 7 Star Rixos hotel grand opening happened this past summer. The second-up project is 40 million, exclusive to a 18-hole golf course, Rixos plans to open next year.  It will have the signature of Bernhard Langer, Europe Team Captain in the last years Ryder Cup and one of the best players in the world.  The Belek region offers fresh clean air, 300 days of sunshine, low humidity and low crime.
  
  During early in March 2005, a pleasant attraction in the Kadriye district called 'Religious Gardens' the first in Turkey, and the second in the world, was opened with a grand ceremony.  The purpose of this placement was to embrace 3 religions consisting of a Synagogue, a Mosque and a Church that nearly invites 500 daily visitors to this brotherhood like area. The entrance is free of charge and open all around the year to everyone wishing to practice their religion away from home. Couples prefer this wonderfully historic area for weddings.
  
  The Belek region offers fresh clean air, blue flag beaches, 300 days of sunshine, beautiful nature with unique flora and fauna, low humidity and no visual polution.  Swimmers and sunbathers alike enjoy the sandy beaches of Uckumtepesi, Tasliburun, Iskele, Ileribasi and Acisu covering a total of 30 km of the superior Meditteranean shoreline surrounded by the finest hotels, holiday villages and golf clubs within the lush pine forests of Belek thus providing a pleasant environment all year round and attracting a large audience.
  
  More natural surroundings that make the Belek area unmatchabe and unique are the national park by the Besgoz and Aksu rivers near Kadriye.  574 different plant species are present, where 29 are endemic and live in this unequalled atmosphere.  A nearby bird sanctuary, home of 109 different bird species is where you can see the camouflaged owl can be traced all year round. During fall the coasts of the region welcome the Caretta Caretta turtles to their nesting grounds, one of 17 privileged areas along Antalya's Mediterranean coast.
  
  15-20 minutes distance from Belek are several historical places worth visiting like the Perge ancient city, and the Aspendos Theatre.  The Aspendos is the best preserved theatre of antiquity that seats 15,000 spectators, and still used today for the annual Aspendos Opera and Ballet festival and various concerts.  The Sillyon ancient city and the Koprulu Canyon are photogenic landmarks testifying the architectural success of the well preserved area.
  
  Golf can be played in Belek all year round and other various sporting activities are parasailing, jet skiing, horseback riding, cycling, paintball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, basketball and much more.  For those who like to gear up high, can also ride on microlites in Belek.
  
  On a final note, Belek is truly a heaven with its beautiful nature and constantly expanding touristic and residential facilities.  Why not own a piece of this Mediterranean sun, sea, sand and nature!