Göcek Göcek is a small town in the Fethiye district of Muğla Province in southwest Turkey. According to legend it is in the Göcek area that Icarus landed in the sea after his famous escape flight from the tower where he was imprisoned. Today, Göcek hosts six significant marinas that serve the yacht tourism in the area. These are: Club Marina, Skopea Marina, Municipality Marinas, Marinturk Göcek Village Port, Marinturk Göcek Exclusive and Port Göcek Marina. A prominent characteristic of the town is that it has islands and coves located in the large and secluded bay on which it sits. Owing to this location it maintains high potential for the yacht tourism on the eastern Mediterranean. In 1988, Göcek was declared a Registered Area of Special Protection in which multi-story buildings are not allowed. Tourist accommodations are limited to two story hotels, apartments, and pensions located in the town center and its periphery. Göcek has all the necessary infrastructure, capacity, and amenities of a tourism center but it is renowned as being much more peaceful and quiet than some other tourism areas. Göcek is situated on Dalaman–Fethiye highway with the 980-meter Göcek vehicle tunnel, completed in June 2006, that has significantly increased the accessibility of the town. The vehicle tunnel is a toll roadway and the first example of build-operate-transfer model. Since Göcek is a departure and arrival point for Blue Cruises, there is heavy yacht traffic in the town harbor. With its secluded bay, the harbor is quiet and safe, especially for long-distance travelers arriving from international waters. Göcek coves and the 12 islands, which are described as a hidden paradise, with clean Mediterranean water, green pine forests, and beaches, have rendered Göcek an A-list destination for seafarers. High-quality boarding facilities, daily boat tours, entertainment facilities, and numerous nearby beaches and coves provide various alternatives for local and international tourists traveling by road into Göcek to spend their vacations. At the dock areas are many restaurants, cafés, and bars along the promenade. Historically Göcek was used as a harbour for ships loading chrome ore collected from the mines under nearby mountains during the Ottoman period.
Göcek
