Villas disguised as hotels

construction is a good thing, even if it is a NEW HOTEL little truncated during the pandemic, but it should still be within the limits of the law. Unfortunately, there are illicit operations and the ministry, whose duty it is to prevent this, does little to stop it, despite repeated assurances that it “won’t be allowed”.

Villas ‘camouflaged’ as hotels was big business in Istanbul, Marmaris and in some other provinces before the pandemic, peaking in Bodrum. The issue, which has been forgotten during the pandemic, has come up again with the Bo Viera luxury residence and hotel project built by the Besa Group in Cetibeli Gundogan, Bodrum.

In 2019, Environment and Urbanization Minister Murat Kurum visited the area where the Bo Virea is located, conducting an inspection from sea and land, elements of the project were halted, and a decision was issued to demolish 12 blocs where 54 single units were located.

Nonetheless, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was approved by the Ministry two weeks ago. According to the EIA report, the final plan of the project includes a 90-room hotel, 310 residences and seven commercial structures. Apart from anomalies in the project, this is a luxury villa business under the cover of a ‘hotel’.

So what is the Ministry of Culture and Tourism doing about luxury villa real estate projects involving unearned income under the name of hotel, because the business is an illicit villa construction project carried out with an investment certificate obtained from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism? A structure, which is built with a hotel license. can’t be sold as a residence.

“The allocation from the government was received for 49 years on condition that it will be a 100% tourism facility,” Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy told daily DUNYA General Coordinator and veteran columnist Vahap Munyar about these projects. “Then they tried to turn it into a project where 85% of the structures consisted of villas. Should we let this happen?”

However, this practice continues, even on a small scale where a few rooms in villas are called a hotel. Thus villas, each valued at USD 1m, are sold under the cover of long-term renting. What has the ministry done about it? And what is it going to do?