Where do the presenters of travel programmes go on holiday?  Recently, Ataman Erkul, one of Turkey’s best known and popular travel presenters took time out from his busy filming schedule in Kalkan to talk to Kalkan Turkish Local News.  (Watch out for another KTLN Local News article soon, telling you when the programme about Kalkan is to be broadcast).

Ataman lives in Istanbul and his working life is very demanding.  His busy schedule means that he can be away filming for weeks at a time as he travels all over Turkey and visits the country’s top holiday spots.

We began our interview by asking him where he goes on holiday when he wants to get away from it all.  He often comes to Kalkan, but Ataman’s top 3 holiday destinations are quite surprising.  All are small and unspoilt; far from the busy night life and crowded beaches of the bigger, more well known resorts.  

He is a frequent visitor to the Datça Peninsula, an area of outstanding natural beauty located between the Mediterranean and Aegean.  

The small resort of Akyaka, in Mugla Province, about an hour from Dalaman in the opposite direction to Kalkan is another favourite.  This coastal village is totally unspoilt.  Here all the buildings, whether old or new are traditional Mugla style wooden houses and the architecture is unique.  

The village of Gökova on the south side of the Bodrum peninsula on the Bay of Gökova is another place he loves.  

Like Kalkan, all these places are small and relatively undeveloped.  Unlike Kalkan they are mostly unknown to British tourists.

Ataman told us that he has all the night-life and parties he can handle in Istanbul.  Even though he is only 32, when he goes on holiday he is looking for peace and quiet and a chance to experience the real Turkey. He loves the huge variety of cultures and nationalities which over the centuries have merged to form the modern Turkey we know today.
‘There are so many influences which have created our nation, we have had Lycians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, the Ottoman Empire, all have contributed to our food, our culture, our traditions and our customs’ said Ataman ‘ The Mediterranean and Aegean coasts have so much to offer.

Ataman’s travels have also taken him much further afield and his favourite overseas destination is quite surprising.  The country he has most enjoyed visiting is South Korea.   As this is not a destination which springs readily to mind even amongst the most well travelled holidaymakers, we asked him why it appealed so much.

‘South Korean culture is so well preserved, unlike Turkey.  The Koreans were never really influenced and changed by other nations.  I found it fascinating to visit a country which is so at ease with its customs and traditions but at the same time is also so dynamic and full of energy.  You get the feeling that anything is possible here.  Outside the big cities the countryside is completely natural and unspoilt and almost no tourists visit, which is a shame because there is so much to see’

Ataman has been a TV presenter since 1998.  He began his career with TRT, the Turkish state channel, similar to the BBC.  He began his broadcasting career as a radio DJ in 1994 and worked with major radio stations as well as a number of TV channels before joining Kanalturk where he was offered a daily, half hour travel programme.  

Being a professional travel presenter has not in any way diminished his love of travel or his delight in finding new destinations and sharing them with his audience - which is estimated to be several million strong  - as his programme is broadcast in twelve countries.

So his stay in Kalkan is brief, just three days - long enough to shoot 120 minutes of film which will be edited to make the thirty minute programme which when broadcast, will promote the beauty and pleasures of Kalkan to a wider audience than ever before.  KTLN will let you know when this programme is to be aired.  Look out for our follow up Local News article.