City appeal on rise as Turkey diversifies tourism alternatives
Posted by meb at May 27th, 2007
Most visitors rank it amongst the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world. While not matching the tourist inflows of Europe’s top destinations, İstanbul is looking to make up ground on rival cities.
That is through a combination of conventional tourism — dependent on the city’s historical, cultural sites and shopping — in addition to the business segment, with foreign businessmen attending conventions and conferences.
Like the rest of Turkey’s tourism industry, İstanbul has set its sights on some ambitious targets. The city attracted an estimated 5.5 million tourists in 2006. According to Ergun Güngör, the deputy governor of İstanbul, the number of tourists entering İstanbul increased by 28.5 percent during the first three months of 2007, compared to the same period the year before. Güngör also pointed out that a 25 percent increase in tourist flows for 2007 would translate into close to 7 million visitors by the year’s end. A consistent 15 percent increase in tourist numbers for the next four years would see numbers hit 10 million by 2010. İstanbul is clearly looking to close the gap on Europe’s urban hotspots, including London with its 15.2 million foreign tourists in 2006, while inner Paris recorded an estimated 27 million foreign visitors the same year. To meet its target the governor’s office has engaged in a campaign to increase the inflow of foreign tourists. The third İstanbul Tourism Festival, held in April 2007 — gathering representatives of the industry and public — was notable in this regard. Meanwhile the Tourist Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB) continues to push ahead with various initiatives, including the İstanbul Destination Project and İstanbul Shopping Festival, to promote the city and develop its pulling power. More importantly, the EU named İstanbul a 2010 European capital of culture.
Back in December 2006, Güven Taşbaşı, the former deputy governor of İstanbul, predicted that İstanbul would not only pull in 10 million tourists by 2010 but also earn 500 million euros in income from the industry.
Promoters have had little trouble selling İstanbul as a convention and conference centre, given its proximity to Europe, the Middle East and Former Soviet Union along with its rich history and range of entertainment options. Hosting the NATO Summit, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Conference for Ministers Responsible for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), the World Newspaper Congress and Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in 2004 drew the international spotlight onto the city. In 2007 İstanbul hosted such events as the Eastern Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Fair (EMITT) with 2,000 attendees, along with the fourth World Mayors’ Summit, hosting 196 mayors and 24 international organizations. The facilities offered by the likes of the İstanbul Lütfi Kırdar Convention and Exhibition Centre, the World Trade Centre İstanbul (DTÖ) and TURYAP Exhibition Halls have clearly tempted event organizers.
Convention and conference facilities have not been the only sources of attraction. The Champions League football final in May 2005 along with the opening of the F1 Grand Prix circuit in August that year played their part. With an attendance of 110,000 spectators, of which 50,000 were non-Turks, İstanbul’s first-ever F1 race not only brought in a swell of tourism revenue but also a concomitant amount of publicity.
source: Anthony Skinner OXFORD BUSINESS GROUP / Today’s Zaman
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