According to a report from Gündem Fethiye, Kırtur, a Turkish company, began the destruction of the forest at Sümbeki Cape as part of TUI's hotel project. The Fethiye Forest Management Directorate had granted the operating rights of the A-Type Recreation Area to Kırtur Tourism Construction Contracting Electric Industry and Trade Limited Company for a 20-year period starting from July 5, 2022.
The construction of the tourism facility began with tree felling over a 98,000 square meter area in May 2023. In March 2024, explosives were used during the ongoing work in the area.
According to information from TUI, the forest destruction and construction activities by Kırtur are indeed for the TUI Blue Faralya hotel. A TUI representative confirmed that the construction in the deforested area at Sümbeki Cape is part of their project. The representative stated that the hotel, intended to be an 'ecological' vacation spot, is still under construction and is expected to take approximately two years to complete.
The representative also mentioned that their business partner in Türkiye is TUI Hotels & Resorts Turkey.
Footage from the area shows a prototype hotel room already built, which the company official confirmed is part of the project. However, drone footage has revealed extensive damage to the forested area.
The Fethiye Forest Management Directorate confirmed that the tree cutting in the area was conducted by them and stated that there were no violations of laws or regulations.
