ANTALYA, TURKEY - JANUARY 06: People skiing at the Saklikent Ski Resort above Beydaglari Mountains that is offering an opportunity of 5 kilometers of uninterrupted skiing and snowboarding also with its' 1,500 people transport capacity chair-lifts per hour, during winter season in Antalya province of Turkey on January 06, 2018.
By Ayse Yildiz
ANTALYA, Turkey
The Turkish Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, already a major tourist destination with its stunning beaches and sunny skies, attracts both local and overseas tourists in the winter with its Saklikent ski resort.
By swimming at Konyaalti beach in the city center and playing golf in Belek, visitors may experience two seasons on the same day in Antalya by reaching Saklikent; only a 45-minute drive from the city center.
Located 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Antalya, Saklikent has four pistes operating from mid-December to the beginning of April.
Founded in 1971 by Governor Huseyin Oguticen, the resort sits on the peak of Beydaglari Mountains on an altitude of 2,400 meters.
During the winter of last year, around 45,000 people skied at the center.
It has a total of 45 villas with a capacity of 250 people.
“Our goal is to reach one million tourists in Saklikent,” Emin Altiner, president of cooperative housing for Beydaglari Saklikent, told Anadolu Agency.
"We aim to be the center of winter tourism. It is possible to create more than 30 ski resorts like Saklikent in the region. Antalya would become the center of skiing as it is in golf,” Altiner said.
“Antalya is the ski resort closest to the equator,” Altiner said after pointing out Beirut and Bolivia also had resorts that brought controversy.
The manager of the resort Sendogan Bilge said that visitors have a swim before noon, and go skiing afterwards, specifically in March.
Bilge said that the resort was unique, and said visitors can benefit from many facilities, including resting areas, accommodation, and social facilities.
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