Suite Hotel And Resort (Apart-Hotel), Marmaris, Turkey Essay

Why is tourism the preferred use for the subject land?

Tourism is the preferred use of the subject land because it is a more viable option from an economic and financial standpoint. Similarly, the conversion of the land to a tourism destination meets the conservation objectives of the National Park Service. Furthermore, Marmaris is already a tourist destination due to plentiful historic tourist attractions in this location, which means that it has an established tourism industry. Millions of tourists visit Marmaris every year and many of these tourists stay in the locale for weeks or months, thus, attesting to an existing market for tourism in this location. Hence, the existing tourism industry in Marmaris ensures the profitability of the subject land as a tourist destination after its conversion to a tourist destination (Tosun, Timothy & Ozturk, 2004).
Another reason behind the planned tourism project is that the parcel of land is a good location for a residential and tourist facility. The subject land is located on a waterfront. In addition, other environmental features and characteristics in the subject land make it a buildable area that would be ideal for the construction of an ‘apart-hotel’ for both residents and tourists. For this reason, the environmental characteristics of the site shows tourist potential.

Why hasn’t the National Park Service purchased the subject land?

The National Park Service has not purchased the subject land because the institution already has control over the land. For this reason, there is no existing incentive for the National Park Service to spend and purchase the land from the owner following just compensation laws. The situation is one of the reasons why the owner is having difficulty in selling or developing the land. The subject land is within the national park, which is owned by the government. The owner could leave it undeveloped under the ownership of the national park or convert it to a tourism destination. Either way, the national park benefits from this set-up without needing to purchase land from the owner.
The owner wants to convert the land to a residential or tourist facility but it is outside the Master Land Use Plan. This could be another reason why the National Park Service has not purchased the land. It is outside the land use zone so its value is not that lofty enough for the national park to purchase it from the owner and provide just compensation.

Why is detailed strategy necessary for rezoning the subject land?

A detailed strategy is necessary for rezoning the subject land because of various issues that pose challenges to the development and conversion of the land into a residential or tourist facility. For this reason, the owner needs to follow a detailed strategy to obtain permits and licenses for the conversion of the land for commercial use and to ensure that the property would be accessible to tourists in the future (Dixon-Gough, 2015; Priority Actions Program, 2005).
One of the main issues that must be addressed is that the parcel of land is outside the Master Land Use Plan. For this reason, it is important that the owner obtain license, specifically a Tourism Investment License – from the national government. The license serves as a permit allowing developers to rezone the parcel of land and convert it to a residential facility that doubles as a tourist facility. To do so, the owner has to prove that the parcel of land can be converted to a commercial establishment and that the process would both be sustainable and profitable.
The owner must present the proposed project, which includes rules and regulations in the conversion that prohibit the cutting of trees and promotes the preservation of the environmental character and features of the land. This part of the plan proves that the proposed project is sustainable and therefore complies with environmental laws and regulations implemented by the local and national government.
After obtaining a Tourism Investment License, the next course of action is to consult with the Marmaris Municipality to file the rezoning of the land and the establishing of a residential and tourist facility as one of the local government’s priority development project (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 2005). Applying for the designation is necessary to establish a residential and tourist facility that is accessible – through a service road – and requisite amenities or utilities such as electricity, water, sewer, and trash collection among others.
Another problem is that the land is outside the Master Land Use plan, which means that it is not part of the main tourism destination in Marmaris. The owner could address this problem by looking for a means to connect the property to the waterfront development properties along Marmaris to make the land accessible to tourists visiting the site. The owner should also conduct a financial analysis, which is essential in setting the rezoning process in motion.
Overall, all the foregoing issues must be addressed before the parcel of land could be transformed and converted into a commercial space. For this reason, a detailed strategy is necessary so the owner could meet all the requisites to implement the project plan and achieve goals for tourism development in the property.

What role or impact will the local government have on your proposed project?

The main role of the local government is to enforce existing laws on land use and zoning regulations (Theobald, 2013). Zoning regulations set limits on the size of the facility and indicates a setback limit that determines the distance of the residential or tourist facility from the waterline. Prior to the development of the subject land, the national government’s role is to assess the proposed project to determine its viability in terms of the buildable land area as well as the conversion’s compliance with land use and zoning laws. Hence, the local government’s decision to approve or reject the plan will affect the fulfillment of the owners plan to convert and transform the parcel of land to a commercial property.
The local government’s willingness to connect the property to Marmaris’ main tourism destination will also affect the value and profitability of the property as a tourist facility. If the local government agrees to include the property as a priority project, then it would be a successful project. If not, then the owner would not be able to achieve the goal of developing the property as a residential or tourist facility.

References

Dixon-Gough, R. (2015). Challenges for Governance Structures in Urban and Regional Development – Resumee. In E. Hepperle et al.’s Challenges for Governance Structure in Urban and Regional Development. Berlin: vdf Hochschulverlag AG.
Ministry of Culture and Tourism. (2005). Law for the Encouragement of Tourism. Retrieved from: http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN,33040/law-for-the-encouragement-of-tourism.html
Priority Actions Programme. (2005). Coastal Management in Turkey. Retrieved from: http://www.medcoast.org.tr/publications/cam%20in%20turkey.pdf
Theobald, W. F. (2013). Global Tourism. New York, NY: Routledge.
Tosun, C., Timothy, D. J. & Ozturk, Y. (2004). Tourism Growth, National Development, and Regional Inequality in Turkey. In B. Bramwell’s Coastal Mass Tourism: Diversification and Sustainable Development in Southern Europe. Channel View Publications.