Istanbul, Turkey has just experienced its second ever national Camping & RV’ing show - a show that was enthusiastically welcomed by the country’s ever increasing numbers of campers & RV’ers. With approximately 5,000 miles of coastline and lots of beautiful countryside, Turkey is fast becoming a very popular outdoor travel destination and Turkish people are keen to participate. This is an area which has also seen the rise of innovative ‘silent camps’ designed to link hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired.
Throughout Turkey there is a growing consumer demand to explore the natural world around them, and getting close to nature by camping and caravanning is proving to be the automatic choice. As Nazim Kopuz from Kamperest, the leading retailer of camping equipment in Turkey points out, “Camping and caravanning is a great passion for Turkish people who live it. And it is a big and sweet dream for those who haven’t tried it yet. The feeling of freedom and happiness while being in nature is one of the main reasons why people go camping. Instead of spending a vacation in one place, people prefer to jump in their caravans or pick-ups and take long camping trips.”
Wild camping is legal in Turkey, and many people regularly camp on the extensive beaches and within the countryside. In addition there are over 100 campsites at prices starting from fifteen euros per night offering extensive camping facilities. Among the popular scenic locations for camping are places like Kelebekler Vadisi (a nature reserve which includes a butterfly valley) and Koprulu canyon, housing the richest plant varieties in the world.
“In recent years, camping has become very popular in Turkey. There are more affordable and higher quality products in the market compared to before. This is also the main factor why camping and caravanning are rising rapidly. Customers can also find and buy more outdoor equipment online easily; especially tents, sleeping bags and camping chairs,” commented Nazim Kopuz.
“We promoted a new brand at the camping show named Upland. There will be more than 100 new different goods within a year. One of them is camping chairs which we are promoting at the CNR Camp and Caravan Show. From pandas and bears to other wildlife, there are 10 new designs that will be printed on the chairs.”
At the Istanbul Expo Center for the Camp & Caravan Show 2020 [Photo/CNR Expo]
Held at the CNR Expo Istanbul Expo Center, the Camp and Caravan Istanbul exhibition is a public exhibition organized by Pozitif Trade Fairs, with the backing of the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Culture and Tourism. It took place between February 21 and March 1. The first ever such event in Turkey was held last year, when it attracted over 15,000 visitors. Although attendance figures for 2020 are not yet available, the show organizers anticipate even higher numbers as the event was extremely popular attracting large numbers of people each day at the event.
Marketing manager of Camp & Caravan Istanbul Duygu Ozenc, commented, “This exhibition has been flooded with visitors since the day it opened. It took place concurrently with CNR Eurasia Boat Show on a twenty thousand square meter area. The expo has welcomed a visitor group that is aware of the natural beauties in Turkey, the paradise for tourism, take advantage of nature and look for alternative vacation methods. It has carried recognition of the Turkish caravan industry to the international level and responded to the increasing demand.”
On display was absolutely everything that potential campers & caravanners could want from trailers to RVs, solar panels and satellite systems to outdoor clothing, fishing and hunting materials. Over 50 companies exhibited at the show, with Turkish companies like Gezginci Karavan, Kuzey Kartali, Ulkem Solar Enerji Sistemleri Ultra Caravans, and as well many international companies such as Hymer and Avis presented. The sheer number of Turkish caravan and camper van companies participating in the show bears witness to the increasing scale of the camping & RV sector in Turkey.
One of those companies was Kamperest, which included sessions on how to put up tents and going camping or caravanning. Such activities are frequently held at its company premises all year round as Nazim indicates, “We have a 50 capacity seminar room at our company center. Every month we are holding indoor events on camping, outdoors and airsoft. Most of our customers and followers are interested in these events. Also we have some partners for outdoor events and we organize special camps for them.”
The number of products offered at Camp and Caravan Istanbul were attracting attention among participants. There were also numerous workshops and talks being held each weekend. Among the most popular activities were the “Freedom on the Road” seminars held over the weekends of February 22 to 23 and February 29 to March 1. These seminars featured four different speakers already well known among Turkish camping enthusiasts.
Starting off the series of talks was Nasuh Mahruki who is Turkey’s most famous mountain climber, author, photographer and producer of documentaries. Not only has he climbed Mount Everest, and became the first Turk ever to tackle the Seven Summits, he was also one of the founders of Turkey’s Search and Rescue Association (AKUT). Mert Gulekin aka Kaybolan Adam (the Lost Man) was another speaker talking about this travels which included crossing the Gobi desert on foot in three days. Two other speakers were Murat Akay and Cagatay Mutlu, who specialize in teaching people to prepare and cook forest flavored food using outdoor cooking facilities. Another similar presentation was provided by Turan Zeynel, founder of Ayi Yemegi (Bear Food), which is an Instagram portal for people to share images of the food they have prepared while camping.
Interestingly, the line up of speakers also revealed how the love of camping and caravanning has spread into Turkish celebrity circles. Turkish actor Kadir Dogulu shared his love of nature and willingness to go camping whenever possible with exhibition attendees, while actor and jazz musician Taylan Erler discussed his caravan adventures. Taylan Erler is well known in Turkey for his promotional YouTube videos explaining different facets of caravans and RV vehicles, showing how different facilities including electrics work in practice.
Hikmet Onat provided one of the most unusual talks. He is the founder of the Sessiz Kamp (Silent Camp), a camping event for the hearing impaired. The meet ups are held in various nature parks around the country on a regular basis and are designed to raise awareness of the issues relating to being hearing-impaired and feature in many YouTube videos. Over 160 people, among whom only 50 did not possess any hearing impairments, attended a typical camping event held at the Kizilcahamam Sahinler Nature Park.
Onat has a hearing impairment himself and says, “I wanted to gather hearing-impaired and hearing individuals together to spread the use of sign language. Such a camping project came to my mind. We had some difficulty in transportation, but 160 people attended the event. It is very valuable for us to fuse together and share something. Among our future goals is the increase in the number of our translators. Currently, there are many volunteers who are trying to learn sign language. On this occasion, we will remove the obstacles.”
During the camping events, lots of group activities are encouraged like yoga, arts & crafts, beach activities, outdoor cooking, and playing games like jenga. In the evening there are silent dances, with everyone wearing tiny lights. More camping events are already planned not just because it is seen as a way of getting hearing impaired and non-hearing impaired together, but because as Onat points out, “We want to bring them the love of our camping culture and nature.”
Camping, Industry Edge, International, Trade Shows & Conferences