Turkey achieved tourism revenues of $35 billion in 9 months

Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced Thursday that tourism revenues increased during the first 9 months of this year by 68 percent compared to the same period in 2021, amounting to about $35 billion.

In a speech before the Parliamentary Plan and Budget Committee, he added that the average tourist spending amounted to $90 per night.

Ersoy pointed out that the Turkish Tourism Development Agency organized campaigns to promote tourism in 200 countries around the world using traditional and digital means of communication, including advertisements in magazines, newspapers and television channels, in addition to promotional companies and social media applications.

He explained that the number of facilities that hold an “environmentally friendly residence facility certificate” in Turkey amounted to 446 facilities until last October, while the number of beds for the mentioned facilities reached 289,763.

He stated that Turkey ranked sixth in the world as the most attractive country for tourists in 2019, according to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

He added that Turkey rose to the fourth rank in the world as the country most receiving tourists during the year 2021, despite the difficulties caused by the Corona pandemic.

He pointed out that Turkey received 40.25 million tourists during the first nine months of this year, an increase of 87 percent over last year.

And he indicated that tourism revenues achieved about $35 billion in 9 months, an increase of 68 percent over the corresponding period of 2021.

He added that the government aims to increase the number of tourists to more than 50 million by the end of this year, and tourism revenues to reach $44 billion.

Tourism in Turkey relies heavily on a variety of historical and natural sites and beach resorts along the coasts of the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and Turkey has recently turned into a favorite destination for culture and medical tourism.

The city of Istanbul is considered one of the most important tourist sites in Turkey and the world, as it includes a large number of major attractions derived from its historical status as the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, most notably the Sultan Ahmed and Hagia Sophia mosques, in addition to the Topkapi Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Galata Tower, and the Dolmabahçe Palace.

Turkey also includes 18 heritage sites included in the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization “UNESCO”, the most famous of which is the “Gobekli Tepe” site, which is considered one of the oldest places of worship on earth and dates back to the Stone Age.

Turkey is considered one of the most prominent winter tourism destinations, as it includes 51 ski centers, most notably “Uludağ” in the state of Bursa near Istanbul, “Arges” in the state of Kayseri, and “Balan Dukan” in the state of Erzurum.

Turkey also contains many natural areas and hills, especially in the Black Sea region, including the Ayder plateau, which is distinguished in the state of Rize.