Tour companies in Samsun have launched tours from across the region to help familiarize people with opera, which has come to be snubbed by the public for being snobbish.
The Samsun State Opera, inaugurated on May 19, is the sixth opera company in Turkey, following Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Antalya and Mersin. Being the only city that boasts an opera in Turkey’s Black Sea region, Samsun is now attracting domestic tourists from such cities as Ordu, Amasya, Çorum and Giresun, local tour companies say.
Mustafa Yavuz, the chairman of the Samsun Tour Operators Association, told the Anatolia news agency that they saw the opening of the Samsun Opera as a new opportunity to enliven business in the region. “We launched tours to bring art lovers from nearby provinces to Samsun for performances held by the Samsun Opera. These tours usually include one-night accommodation and a tour of sightseeing places around the city during the day,” he explained.
The Samsun State Opera opened the 2009-2010 season with a production of “La Dame aux Camélias.” Other works on this year’s repertoire include the ballet “Giselle” and the opera “The Abduction from the Seraglio.”
