ISTANBUL
Bodrum’a tourist denizden 1922
The number of foreign tourists visiting Turkey is expected to exceed its 2019 level, says Firuz Bağlıkaya, chairman of the board of the Turkish Travel Agencies Association (TÜRSAB).
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“There is no doubt, we will exceed the level of 2019. We are waiting for a new record,” Bağlıkaya said.
In 2019, foreign tourist arrivals increased by 14.1% compared to the previous year to reach more than 45 million people.
“Tourism activity continued as planned in 2022. Despite all the challenges of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, [arrivals from] other alternative markets, such as the Middle East, Germany and the UK, rose, helping to offset losses. »
The 2023 tourist season will be much better, he said, adding that the goal is to make Turkey one of the top three countries in world tourism.
“Turkey has a lot to offer… from medical tourism to cultural tourism to cruise tourism and golf, not to mention beaches and warm weather. We have the potential to compete [with other countries]Bağlıkaya said.
“I am confident that we can achieve the goal of making Turkey one of the top three countries in the world in the shortest possible time by working with tour operators, hoteliers, transport companies and travel agencies.”
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Earlier this week, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said that given the performance recorded since the beginning of the year, Turkey should attract more foreign tourists and generate more tourism revenue than foreseen in the revised targets set for 2022.
The upwardly revised targets for this year call for 47 million foreign tourists and $37 billion in tourism receipts.
In January-August, 29.3 million foreign tourists visited Turkey, up more than 108% from the same period of 2021.
