The Çoruh Valley in Eastern Anatolia is an isolated region with a low income from agriculture and suffers from a lack of developed private sector and entrepreneurial capacity. However, it also has a great potential for summer tourism activities due to its geographical location, as well as rich cultural heritage. In order to improve the region's economy "Tourism Development in Eastern Anatolia" project will be implemented over the next two years with the cooperation of UNDP, Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Efes Pilsen Beer Group as the private sector partner.

The project was launched on 30th March 2007 in Istanbul with a press conference in which UNDP Resident Representative Mahmood Ayub stressed the importance of private sector partnerships. "The UNDP-Efes Pilsen partnership illustrates just one of the many ways the private sector can be involved in finding solutions to development issues. Partnership with the private sector is essential as a lot of the skills and human capacity needed to solve development problems actually sit in the private sector and in private enterprises. Without the private sector involved, we cannot hope to solve these problems" said Ayub. Efes Pilsen Group will be giving a financial aid of US 750,000 Dollars for the duration of the project. On the other hand, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism plays a key role in increasing the success of the project by integrating the results into national policies.

The project is aimed at reducing regional disparities through support to alternative income other than agriculture in the Çoruh Valley. In this context, tourism development councils will be established for participatory planning and implementation as well as the support received from tourism development offices in İspir and Uzundere districts. Through the support of these offices, tourism will become an alternate income for the region by opening new business opportunities and local initiatives. The project will help to balance the disparities that arise from socio-economic conditions, lower GDP and outmigration.

Through this project Çoruh will attract local and foreign tourists thanks to its rich cultural, wildlife and landscape value. Kaçkar Mountains in the region, for example, provide great opportunities for canoeing, rafting and trekking, as well as offering an authentic environment for attractions, such as bird watching. However, there is much to be done. Although the local community is very welcoming, they need to be trained in the tourism sector. The current accomodation facilities will need to be transformed so that they are convenienent for tourists. By the end of the project, Çoruh's well-preserved biodiversity including rich flora and fauna as well as its fortresses, churches and mosques will receive much attention.