Ex-Didim police chief axed over FETO links
FORMER Didim police chief Uğur Çaylak, who served the resort from 2010, has been removed from duty over alleged links to the Gulen FETO group which is said to have been behind the attempted coup on July 15.
The police officer served the town during two-year term before being seconded back into Aydin in July 2012. More detentions of ‘Gulen’ followers continue in the wake of the coup.
Akbuk roads get re-surfaced
DIDIM Municipality has begun road surface treatment on a number of roads around Akbuk.
The construction works will include 30,000 m2 surface work and will be done over the next several days.
Didim Mayor Deniz Atabay said the work would be concentrated around the central resort areas.
Vegan festival planners head to Berlin
ORGANISERS of the Didim Vegan Festival, scheduled for April 2017, have travelled to a similar festival in Berlin to see it at close quarters.
The flying visit between August 19-21 saw tourism boss Hüseyin Baraner, Didim Tourism Infrastructure Head of Service Union Sevinç Karataş and German Travel Agents’ Association (DRV) Foreign Commissioner and Didim Chamber of Commerce member Hikmet Atilla take in the festival.
The vegan festival in Berlin is now in its ninth year, and the Didim delegation met with their German counterparts for research purposes for Didim’s festival.
Mr Atilla said the Berlin festival had drawn 116 companies from the country to participate.
Their first festival began with 500 people and this year topped 75,000 visitors.
He added: “The Didim festival is an idea to extend the season from April. We met with travel agencies, parliamentarians and businessmen and are looking forward to continuing this joint cooperation. The festival was very productive.”
Ms Karatas added: “The trip was to witness the festival first hand and we were very impressed. There were groups of vegan associations from Europe, as well as cooks and writers.
“It will, for Didim, be an important development in alternative tourism, and a break from the sun, and sand tourism activities.”
‘Free strokes project’ launched in Altinkum
A NEW project called Free Strokes is underway to help disabled people safely access the sea off Altinkum Beach.
The Ministry of the Interior launched “Project Assistance for Civil Society Organizations” and called on for proposals.
Didim Disabled Association, with the Didim Governor’s and Association of Municipality and Tourism’s support launched “Free Strokes”.
The application was filed in June among 750 projects nationwide. Didim’s project was picked as one of the chosen 16. The project enables the disabled to enter the sea with a lift-like attachment.
Didim Disability Association chairman Bedri Altintas said the 16 will be judged and will be whiottled down to five final projects to be actively supported.