Urban Planner Bayram Vardar stated that 400 litres of thermal water per second were being discharged into Bursa’s sewer system without being utilised. Vardar said, “We have thermal water resources more valuable than the oil of the Middle East. This gift originating from magma is being discharged into the sewer system.”
At the Chamber of Architects Conference Hall of the Bursa Academic Chambers Union (BAOB), academics discussed the potential and future of thermal water—one of Bursa’s natural resources—and the health tourism associated with it. Numerous architects also attended the meeting.
A RESOURCE FROM MAGMA
Describing thermal water as “Bursa’s most important characteristic,” Urban Planner Bayram Vardar stated: “At present, 400 litres of thermal water per second are being discharged into Bursa’s sewer system without being used effectively. Although some of this water is utilised in existing tourism facilities, it is not used in the manner of European medical rehabilitation hospitals that employ thermal water. As in Keramet, Orhangazi, the water is discharged onto the road. This natural resource amounting to 400 litres per second within the city—a gift originating from magma—is being discharged into the sewer system,” he said.
ONLY 2 PER CENT CHOOSE BURSA
Vardar stated: “When we consider using this natural water and examine examples around the world, we encounter striking facts. Approximately 30 million tourists participate in health tourism worldwide. In Türkiye, however, the corresponding figure is only around 750,000. Our country accounts for barely one-fortieth of this market in terms of health tourists. Of those who came to Türkiye for health tourism in 2018, only 2 per cent chose Bursa. Yet, as noted in Evliya Çelebi’s travelogue, Bursa had approximately 3,000 bathhouses in the 1640s, most of which used thermal water and provided therapeutic benefits. Today, there are very few facilities offering such services,” he said. (İHA)
HIGH POTENTIAL
Emphasising that Bursa possesses thermal water resources more valuable than Middle Eastern oil, Vardar stated: “There are approximately 7,000 beds serving thermal health tourism in Bursa. Considering our city’s centuries-old thermal water resources, we could establish facilities comparable to those in Western countries with a capacity of approximately 18,000 beds. Eighteen thousand beds would correspond to 6.5 million health tourists annually and create new employment opportunities for around 9,000 people,” he said. In conclusion, Vardar stated: “Bursa is a city with very considerable potential in health tourism, not only because of its cultural heritage on the UNESCO World Heritage List and its appeal for winter tourism, but also because of its wealth of thermal water resources.”