KAPYAD, 1ST YEAR GALA NIGHT AND TRAILBLAZERS AWARD CEREMONY HELD

The Cappadocia Area Tourism Investors Association (KAPYAD) celebrated the first anniversary of its founding with a special gala night held on May 31st at the Perissia Hotel & Convention Center in Ürgüp. The event also featured the 'Trailblazers Awards' Ceremony, honoring individuals who have left unforgettable marks on Cappadocia.

Established at the beginning of 2023 to address a civil society gap in Cappadocia, one of Turkey's most significant tourism regions, KAPYAD, led by the experienced tourism professional and investor Ömer Tosun, marked its first year of operation with this distinguished gala dinner.

The gathering brought together members consisting of leading investors who contribute significant added value to the region—including hotels, balloon companies, restaurants, carpet stores, pottery workshops, and wineries. The event was graced by high-level attendees, including the Protocol of the Ministry of Tourism, Nevşehir, and surrounding provinces, alongside many respected figures from the tourism and business communities. During the special evening, prominent personalities who have made indelible contributions to Cappadocia were presented with the 'Trailblazers Awards.'

The 1st anniversary of KAPYAD was marked with congratulatory messages from the President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, and Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

Distinguished guests attending the night included former Minister of Tourism Bülent Akarcalı, former Minister of Culture and Tourism Erkan Mumcu, Nevşehir Deputy Filiz Kılıç, Nevşehir Governor Ali Fidan, Aksaray Governor Mehmet Ali Kumbuzoğlu, and Cappadocia Area Head Birol İnceciköz.

During the 'Trailblazers Awards' ceremony, moderated by Meltem Bozbeyoğlu, numerous esteemed individuals were honored for their significant contributions to the development of tourism in the Cappadocia region. Award recipients included Abbas Ataman, Ahmet Tok, Kürşat Numanoğlu, Saffet Yatağan, Chez Galip (Galip Körükçü), Mustafa Yedek, Nebil Tahincioğlu, Mustafa Kaya, Lars Eric Moore & Kaili Kidner, Jacques Aveizou, Yahya Yılmaz, Murat Dedeman, Münir Yazıcıoğlu, and Besim Tibuk. Awards for deceased individuals were accepted by their relatives.

The gala was made possible with the generous support of its sponsors: Metro, Perissia Hotel & Convention Center, Museum Hotel, Bazaar 54, Dorak Holding, Halis Uluer Group of Companies, Sonsuz Enerji, and K-Brothers served as Gold Sponsors. Silver Sponsorship was provided by Agarta Cave Hotel, Millstone Cave Suites, Fresco Cave Suites, Hill Hotel & SPA, Kelebek Group, Elika Cave Suites, Kaya Balloons, Turasan Şarapçılık, Kocabağ Şarapçılık, Elai Cappadocia, Fosil Cave Suites, Altınoran, and Post Yapım.

Adding a unique touch to the evening, the ethnic Greek artist Vasilis Kasouras, originally from Cappadocia, performed pieces from his album 'Karamanlidika Songs from Cappadocia', which compiles Cappadocian songs from before the 100th anniversary of the Türkiye-Greece Population Exchange.

In his address at the event, KAPYAD President Ömer Tosun stated:

"To ensure the Cappadocia Region achieves the position it deserves in tourism, we first gathered our friends and established the Cappadocia Area Presidency, which our Minister of Tourism approved. Following this, we recognized the need for a civil society organization to support the Area Presidency and highlight critical issues, which led to the founding of KAPYAD. We welcomed individuals who have invested in the region's tourism as members. As KAPYAD, we are implementing strategies and initiatives to strengthen the Cappadocia brand both nationally and internationally and boost its competitiveness. With our Minister's support, we immediately launched the Culture Road Festival, followed by the commencement of excavations at the Sobesos Ancient City. We highlighted the need for museums and event spaces. We are proud to celebrate our first anniversary. At this juncture, we highly value having an airline connection between Cappadocia and Bodrum. Today, with an annual tourist count of 1.5 million, Cappadocia generates 3 billion USD in tourism revenue, which underscores its importance and justifies continued support. Tonight, with the 'Trailblazers Awards Ceremony,' we are honoring those who have worked tirelessly and pioneered initiatives for the region's development. By inviting the beloved ethnic Greek artist Vasilis Kasouras, a native of Cappadocia, we also wanted to draw attention to the 100th anniversary of the Population Exchange. We will continue to honor those who create value for Cappadocia and, as KAPYAD, persist in our investments and efforts for our region and our country."

Nevşehir Governor Ali Fidan commented:

"I congratulate those who contributed to the establishment of KAPYAD, an association I believe will significantly support our efforts to elevate the brand value of our Cappadocia region, and I wish it success. Cappadocia is one of our most precious brands. Figures show intense interest in our region, and we achieved an all-time high in visitor numbers in 2023. Looking at accommodation data from April 2023 to April 2024, we hosted 2 million 130 thousand guests, with 51 percent being foreign tourists. The first four months of 2024 show significant increases across all metrics, including museum and archaeological site visitors, balloon flights, and airport passenger numbers. Five of the top 10 most visited museums and archaeological sites in the country are located in our region. We possess a God-given, beautiful region with immense brand value, and we must continue working to make it more sustainable and better recognized. We need to focus on quality over quantity now."

Bülent Akarcalı, Chairman of the KAPYAD Advisory Board, delivered the opening address, stating:

"We have invaluable figures working for Cappadocia, such as the governors of Aksaray and Nevşehir, our tourism directors, and Cappadocia Area Head Birol İnceciköz. They will carry out the necessary work for Cappadocia. Cappadocia should not be a destination for cheap holidays, and Cappadocians should not be the ones making it cheap. We need solidarity among tradesmen; with self-confidence, investments, and by extending the length of stay from 2 nights to 3-4 nights, we can elevate Cappadocia to great heights."

Cappadocia Area Head Birol İnceciköz noted their efforts to streamline bureaucracy within the Area Presidency:

"We discussed what we can do to realize tourism activities throughout the 12 months of the year. We worked on what can be done in this region, which has the beauty to attract visitors with multiple types of tourism—not just culture and nature tourism—and a law emerged. We were established not only to speed up bureaucratic processes but also as an institution that serves as a solution partner, adding inspection authority. We are implementing holistic zoning plans that have never been done before, addressing the region's needs. We now have a plan that meets the needs for investment, tourism-related sports activities, and residential areas in the region. We have initiated the region's master plans with our Nevşehir Governor, and we have begun restoring untouched fairy chimneys. We have included the Sobesos Ancient City in the Ministry's Future Heritage Archaeological Site Program. In the Göreme Open Air Museum, we are excavating many rock sites, including the kitchen structure of the Tokalı Church, and we continue with holistic projects."