Touristic hotels and businesses in the Cappadocia region, famous for its surreal rock formations and hot air balloons, have welcomed citizens affected by the disastrous Feb. 6 earthquakes free of charge.
Apart from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (GSB) dormitories and teachers' houses, several hotels and guesthouses in the region of Nevşehir have opened their doors to earthquake survivors.
Hotels in the Ürgüp and Avanos districts and the towns of Göreme, Uçhisar and Ortahisar welcomed citizens from 11 provinces hit hardest by the massive tremors and mobilized to provide shelter for the earthquake-affected families and their children.
Speaking with Anadolu Agency (AA), representatives of the hotels said the businesses have allocated rooms in their facilities, which also include three meals a day.
Batuhan Yıldırım, the manager of a hotel in the region, told AA that in addition to the hotels that are currently open, seasonal establishments closed for the winter season were also preparing to immediately offer a ''warm home'' to those affected by the earthquake.
Stating that they organized entertainment for children in hotels, Yıldırım said: "We have been hosting our guests for days. We try to alleviate their pain by giving gifts to all of them."
Hakkı Çelebi, another hotel manager working in the area, also stated that after the earthquake, the state and the nation joined hands to help citizens who suffered from grievances and that their companies took part in the mobilization.
Stating that they provide free services to earthquake victims around the clock at nine hotels and restaurants within their company, Çelebi noted they aim to host the earthquake victims in the best possible way.
"Our bed capacity is 75 people, but we have increased our quota up to 126 people with additional beds to not leave any guests out. All our staff is working tirelessly,'' Çelebi noted.
Zeynep Büyüköz, one of the guests in the hotels in the region, stated that they came from the village of Büyüknacar Kocadere of Kahramanmaraş's Pazarcık district and thanked the tourism professionals who provided them the hosting opportunity.
"There were casualties in our village. We lost our relatives, neighbors, aunt and her husband. The buildings that were not destroyed were also heavily damaged,'' Büyüköz explained. Noting that Türkiye is full of good people, she said, ''We are on our feet thanks to their kindness.''
One of the children, Egemen Şabaoğlu from Hatay, who was greeted with a surprise birthday celebration by the officials of the hotel he and his family are staying in, said that he was happy to be in Cappadocia.
American tourist Gladys Fernandez, on the other hand, stated that she frequently visits Cappadocia, which she loves very much, and that she came to the region by plane after learning the news of the earthquake.
Expressing that she visits hotels and distributes gifts to help heal the wounds of earthquake victims, Fernandez said, "I spend time with those who were injured in the earthquake and help them to relieve their pain a bit.
''I am happy that all countries are lending a hand to help resolve the problems experienced here. I believe that through unity, the pain will fade eventually,'' she concluded.