I want to introduce you to the heroes of a project that we have been preparing for almost two months, and that has started to happen as of this week.
Known by our colleagues as Tatlıses Izzet, Dr Lecturer Ali İzzet Yılmaz started his tourism management career in Nevşehir in the mid-1990s and ended his career in Tatlıses Hotel in Kuşadası 22 years later. After completing her master’s degree at Istanbul University in 2003, she completed her doctorate at Adnan Menderes University in 2016 with the thesis “Differentials in Hospitality Management”. Yılmaz, who has been serving the sector at Hitit University since 2017, seems to have devoted his experience gained throughout his career and education life to diversifying tourism in his hometown Çorum at the same time.
Yılmaz is not alone in this journey. Çorum’s young and dynamic Culture and Tourism Manager is with him with the same enthusiasm. Sümeyra Şengül, who graduated from Anadolu University Art History Department in 2004, started to work as a civil servant at Çorum Museum in 2006. Şengül, who became a specialist in 2009, was appointed to Çorum Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate in July 2019. Despite this intensity, he is raising two children while continuing his master’s degree in “Mineral Artifacts from the Seljuk Period in Çorum Museum” at Hittite University.
Yılmaz and Şengül’s love for Çorum is noticed by Çorum Mayor Halil İbrahim Aşkın and given the necessary support. When it finally reached us as the History, Culture and Tourism Guides Association, he said, “Yes!” we said. In the first part of the project, which consists of two stages, we learned about the new finds obtained at the visit points of the TKTC guides Çorum City Center, Osmancık, Ortaköy Şapinuva, İskilip, Boğazkale Hattuşa, Alacahöyük and more, which took place in two separate periods and shared our views on the issues that need improvement and the innovations that can be made.
During our stay in Çorum, Prof. Dr We listened to Şapinuva from Aygül Süel, which she discovered and continued her excavations for nearly 30 years. We took the floor to meet with our community members in our association on March 17. We met with the other mayors of Iskilip, Osmancık, and Ortaköy districts and the mayor of Çorum. During the World Tourist Guides Day activities that we will celebrate next week, 4 of our friends will be in Çorum for the remaining second phase of the project.
We want to thank everyone who contributed to this framework and hopes our contributions will benefit Çorum tourism.
