Lake Van has a 450-kilometer shore, but there are no public beaches, stated Abdullah Tunçdemir, Director of the Lake Van Basin Tourism Association in Turkey.

He informed that 20 thousand Iranians visited Van Province during the Ramadan this year, whereas this number was 50 thousand, during the same period the previous year, according to Sabah newspaper of Turkey.  

Tunçdemir noted that Iranian tourists do not stay long in Van, since it does not have public beaches for a longer stay.

“The Iranians want the setting up of beaches along the shore of Lake Van,” he added. “Due to lack of beaches, people from the neighboring provinces also don’t come to Van.”

To note, there is also an Armenian church on Akhtamar Island on Lake Van.