Our Story Our story began years ago, when company founder Melis Selçuk began hosting friends visiting Bodrum from abroad. With each new visit, the value of sharing unique local experiences in Bodrum became clearer and clearer – and it was always a pleasure to see the happiness on guests’ faces. When Melis decided to start the business on a professional basis, she had two key sources of motivation in mind: convey Bodrum’s rich culture to visitors from across the world, and enable guests to enjoy authentic local experiences with the warm Aegean people. About the Founder Melis Selçuk received her undergraduate ‘Management of Performing Arts’ diploma at Istanbul Bilgi University (Laureate Universities), her Master’s degree in ‘Fashion Direction: Retail & Brand Experience Management’ at Italia Politecnico Di Milano (with scholarship award), her 'Image Consultancy' education at the Istituto Marangoni, her ‘NLP Training Certificate’ at Yeditepe University, and her ‘Academic Training Certificate’ at the University of Toronto, Canada. Aside from her academic pursuits, Melis has attended various courses and training sessions throughout her life, owing to her curious personality. ​ After working as style editor and gaining corporate experience in sales and marketing, Melis carried out Experiential and Sustainable Marketing & Styling projects in Italy with the forerunners of the field in Milan and Turkey. Her projects have been featured in both national and international press. ​ She is also the project curator of a social enterprise ‘Slow Story Co Sustainable Store’. Her sustainable life articles can be seen at yesilist.com - Turkey’s first sustainable life platform, located in London. In addition, she is also a co-founder and general manager of VAO Bodrum – the International Academy of Opera and Musical Arts Festival, located in California, USA. ​ Melis is founder and experience curator of Local Story Bodrum.

Sustainability and Our Values Authenticity Originality is essential to us. The subject, content and processing of our experiences is unique. We follow sustainable development goals, through local values of our habitat. Sincerity We know that sincerity is what everyone is looking for... so being genuine and honest is our primary focus. The locals we choose to work with are humble and genuine people. We want you to feel the experience in your heart. Quality We ensure our partner stores have sustainable and local values and that the food points are selected according to the world health organisation standards. Your health is important to us. Intelligence We bring intellectual perspective to our experiences along with the beauty. We share the treasures of our culture by telling stories and immerse our guests into the experience itself. Aesthetics We all want to see and experience beauty. We know that primary beauty comes from both nature and art. All of our experiences touch your 5 senses and offer it within the framework of aesthetic standards. Joy We handle fun with empathy. Our first desire is for you to have a nice and enjoyable time. ​ If you're happy, we're happy! We support sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals In experience management, ethics and aesthetics are both important to us. ​ Our values support Sustainable Development Goals ​ Social - Econ omic Impact ​ Goal 3: Good Healt h and Well-Being We care for the well-being of our guests. Our food points are selected according to the World Health Organization standards. We choose only the best, quality, local food places. ​ Goal 5: Gender Equality Diversity is essential for us. The people who we work with have diverse genders and ages. ​ Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities We know local businesses are the most important gatekeepers of Bodrum’s local culture and our traditions. Our experience inspirations are coming from our local business owner’s deep understanding and local backgrounds. We believe in sustainable tourism and positive impacts. We know a real local experience is possible only by making deep connections with local people in their neighbourhoods. We support and promote small, local businesses. We only work with passionate local vendors such as art exhibitors, food place owners, artisans and masters to create authentic and unique experiences. Our vendors welcome our guests with personal attention not only with their stories but also traditional unique items. ​ Goal 17: Partnerships for The Goals We have future project collaborations with associations working for the benefit of our world. ​ Environmental Impact Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production Goal 13 Climate Action We are aware of the value of our planet’s natural sources. We are defending responsible consumption and effort to prevent food waste. We also share tips with our collaborators and vendors to save energy, water and reduce waste. We know air pollution and climate change is one of the main problems of our planet. We choose our locations in walking distance to prevent air pollution. We choose stores selling high quality, sustainable domestic products to prevent carbon emissions. ​

Contact Us At Local Story Bodrum , we’re always happy to hear from people eager to see the authentic side of our beautiful Turkish coastal town. ​ If there’s anything specific you’d like to know about the experiences we offer, and you can’t find the answers in our FAQ page, please reach out through one of the channels below – we’ll be delighted to hear from you. ​ Local Story Bodrum offers local experiences and assistance for travellers. Get in touch to learn more. Email Address melis@localstorybodrum.com Alternative Email Address localstorybodrum@gmail.com Follow Us Contact Us Full Name Country/City Email Phone Your message to us By checking this box, I accept terms and conditions and I authorize Local Story Bodrum to store my personal information in order to reach out to me. Cookie Policy Obligation To Inform Personal Data Protection & Processing Policy Explicit Consent Submit Thanks for submitting!