Bike Friendly Hotel

Sustainable development in itself can be defined as activities carried out in a manner that protects natural resources from careless depletion and leave a healthy environment for future generations while also meeting the needs of today. Sustainable tourism is defined by the UN Environment Program and UN World Tourism Organization as “tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” It is an aspiration to acknowledge both the positive and negative impacts of tourism, aiming to maximise the former and minimizing the latter. Perhaps one of the most important contributors to sustainable tourism is the environmentally friendly activity of riding a bicycle. But, what are the contributions of cycling to sustainable development and tourism?

Riding a bicycle is a cheap and environmentally friendly form of fun exercise that can be enjoyed by almost anyone from children to elderly adults. With how healthy life styles and environmentally friendliness being very important things these days; many people seek to demonstrate the importance they give to them by displaying an environmentaly friendly attitude in almost every area of life, from the food they consume right up to the method of transportation they use in their day-to-day life. And here is where the importance of the bicycle comes into light. Powered only by the strength of its riders; being easily affordable, safe, healthy and of nonpolluting nature, bicycles are a very important tool to be used in the goal of achieving sustainable development and tourism.

Having protected the values of Antalya through its environmentally friendly policy since it was established, Akra takes a step toward a more livable world. Akra offers services based on a bike friendly hotel policy in order to preserve and transfer to future generations the historical and cultural texture of Antalya without any changes and to discover this historical and cultural texture through cycling. It improves its services in an environmentally friendly manner by following the global innovations and technology. Within this context, it takes initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint by revising its consumption and service policy regarding the climate crisis, which has become a global problem.

As Akra Hotels, we are aware of our responsibilities in sustainable tourism as well as development and we are determined to fulfill them as we try to leave a better world for future generations. It is because of this very determination to achieve our goals that we carefully control the amount of resources such as water, electricity and food in order to lessen the amount of waste we produce. We also use recycling and environmentally friendly production methods to minimize any possible damage to the environment, all without compromising the comfort of our guests.

Akra has fulfilled the legal requirements set by the Ministry and been awarded the certificate of the bike friendly hotel. It is so easy and fun to find solutions for everything you need for your bike at Akra. The very first moment you arrive at the hotel by your bicycle, you will feel that the way you exercise colors up in a completely different manner with the high-quality service of Akra and the excellent nature of the Mediterranean.

Transportation by motor vehicle is one of the major causes of global warming. Keeping the awareness of global warning at the highest level, Akra offers free bicycle service to its guests, while continuing to support the Tour Of Antalya race under Category UCI 2.1, gifted by Akra to Antalya. In addition, it has also been holding the Akra Gran Fondo since 2018, where many amateur cyclists participate.

Aiming to bring a new perspective to tourism as well as the promotion of Antalya; Akra Gran Fondo is very important cycling event that aims to contribute to the environment via the minimalization of the carbon footprint by inspiring all locals to use their cars less in favor of using their bicycles more. Akra Gran Fondo invites all cycling-enthusiasts to pedal more with them for a healthier and better future...

First organized between 22-25 February 2018 by Argeus Events and Yedi İletişim in Antalya under the main sponsorship of Akra & Barut Hotels as well as with the support from T.R. Ministry of Youth & Sports, Governorship of Antalya, Antalya Metropolitan Municipality, the Turkish Cycling Federation and the Turkish Sports Writers Association.

The Chairman of Akra Hotels - Haydar Barut expressed his views as the following:
"As the oldest tourism group in the region, we wanted to give a gift.Therefore; we believe that both TOUR OF ANTALYA and AKRA Gran Fondo will not only bring a new perspective to the tourism and promotion of Antalya, but they are also part of a visionary project for both us as well as the city. However, this is only the start as we plan to make Antalya a destination for cyclists.''

Organized under the Category 2.2 of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for the first two years, TOUR OF ANTALYA was held under the Category 2.1 for the first time in 2020. The change of category meant that more important teams were able to participate in the event that year.