Last week's announcement that Tepe Akfen Airports Holding (TAV) won the right to operate Gazipaşa Airport near Alanya has started an investment boom in the region as foreign and Turkish investors alike are rushing to build tourism facilities, hotels, and residence complexes. One of the upcoming projects is a golf course near Gazipaşa.

Andy Lawler, owner of Remax Star Real Estate in Alanya's Mahmutlar area, told the Turkish Daily News that last week two UK and two Irish investors combined forces and invested 100 million euros in a golf course to be built close to Gazipaşa.

"The plan is to attract new kinds of tourism to Alanya and Gazipaşa. A golf course in the area is bound to be a successful investment as at present the nearest golf courses are hours away in Belek," said Lawler, who has a minority stake in the project.

The golf course is expected to open in 2009. At present the project's paperwork is being handled by the local land registry.

The golf course consists of 100 hectars of land, 40 of which belong to the government and 60 hectars that will be bought from private owners. "The building of one course in the area will definitely lead to the building of at least two others as players of golf prefer variety," explained Lawler.

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He also noted that news of the Gazipaşa Airport opening in the near future has created a lot of enthusiasm among property developers in Alanya . "The opening of the airport will undoubtedly change the whole character of Alanya and Gazipaşa. Many people were waiting to see what would happen with the airport before investing in the region," Lawler said.

"Already now there are numerous plans to build, for example, residence complexes and five star hotels in Gazipaşa where, at present, there is a relatively small variety of upmarket accommodation facilities."

Also the taxi boat service that is planned to connect Kaş and Kalkan with Gazipaşa is bound to lead to increased numbers of visitors to the region. "It seems that in the next 10 years we will see major development in the region," Lawler noted.

The price of property has notably increased in the just the first week after the announcement of the opening of Gazipaşa Airport. "Since the announcement, we have seen a 20-25 per cent increase in real estate and land prices. For example, land plots in Gazipaşa that cost YTL 100,000 a while ago, today are priced at YTL 120,000 and even YTL 150,000," said Nükhet Davies, sales manager at Cebeci Construction in Alanya.

"Within the next six months, property prices will experience an even more dramatic rise. This is very good for the market which, for a while, was experiencing a temporary slowdown."

Omer Kargi, owner of Jasmin Real Estate in Alanya, agrees. "There's been so much talk about Gazipaşa airport, with a lot of investors waiting for this moment. We're definitely expecting another small boom in this section of this coast, and have already noticed an increase in enquiries about property for sale in Alanya "