The Travel Foundation, together with our local partners in Fethiye, recently presented the Blue Wave project to national representatives of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping and TURMEPA (the Turkish Marine Environment Protection Association), to find ways to maximise the impact of the initiative and ensure its legacy continues beyond the life of the Travel Foundation’s involvement.
In an important breakthrough for the project, our coordinator Şemsi Toprak presented the project to the Sea Tourism Committee and the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Shipping in Istanbul, together with Fethiye’s branch Chairman Mr Şaban Arıkan.
The board praised the quality of the communications materials developed, such as the audio messages, maps and signage. It also valued the successful collaboration between organisations and the positive engagement of the boating community to participate in activities such as training, as well as the insights gained on the sector through the monitoring and evaluation.
Up until now, the Blue Wave project has been focused on the Fethiye-Göcek bay area, but after this successful meeting, the project will be continued and spread to other destinations. The Chamber of Shipping branches in Marmaris and Bodrum intend to implement parts of the initiative in each destination, with support provided by the Fethiye branch. These branches will receive support from the headquarters and may also form local partnerships in order to implement the initiative.