Tourism sector seeks to surpass 2007 figures in August
Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay has stated that Turkey hosted 23.3 million tourists in 2007 and will this year aim to reach this figure by the end of August.
Participating in the Antalya Heading for 10 Millionth Tourist gala, which was organized by the Mediterranean Tourist Hoteliers Association (AKTOB) in Antalya on Thursday, Günay said: “Today one of our cities, Antalya, has made hosting 10 million tourists annually an easy target to achieve. This shows what a bright, successful and beautiful future Turkey will have.”
Günay noted that while Turkey is becoming a world brand in terms of tourism, it has to carry the sector beyond the typical sea, sand and sun tourism. “We need to combine our cultural heritage with tourism,” said the minister, adding: “Anatolia is a region that hosted many ancient civilizations. Our archeological assets, summer campgrounds and museums are very important in this sense.”
Günay stated that his ministry estimates the total number of tourists visiting Turkey will exceed 27 million by the end of 2008, while passing last year’s annual figure of 23.3 million at the end of August.
Günay said tourism will grow further after it is integrated with culture, adding that Turkey will benefit from tourism as long as it preserves its history and nature. To this end the Culture and Tourism Ministry launched a project called Museumcard this year that allows Turkish citizens to buy a card for YTL 20 which provides unlimited access to all of the museums in Turkey for a one-year period.
He also touched on a new law governing tourism investors’ use of beachfront, noting that deputies had opposed the law without understanding its content, criticizing it for allowing tourism investors to damage the environment by cutting down trees to build facilities along the coastline. Günay said previous laws on tourism had drawn similar reactions. “We have placed new restrictions on using forested areas. We have never considered harming or damaging forests. We have never thought of polluting the environment,” he stated. The law requires a company to plant twice as many as trees those chopped down to open up land for investment.
Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) Chairman Ahmet Barut emphasized that if the Culture and Tourism ministry doesn’t issue regulations clarifying the situation pertaining to investment at tourism sites, the owners of hotels situated on the coast could go to prison. “Environment is definitely one of the most important premises we tourism operators consider, and none of us has a different stance on this issue. What we want is to just provide tourists with normal needs like lounges and umbrellas on the beach.”
AKTOB Chairman Sururi Çorabatır stated that 7.3 million tourists visited Antalya in 2007 and that this number is expected to exceed 9 million in 2008, adding that his association’s target for 2009 is to surpass 10 million. Çorabatır said AKTOB’s aim is to make Antalya a world brand of tourism, adding that Antalya has already become a popular brand in Germany and Russia, which are Antalya’s biggest markets. Çorabatır noted that Turkey is closing in on the top countries in terms of tourism. “Now we need to hit the top in this league with our experience and quality of service. Our current level in the world league is awesome, but we will not settle for this,” he said.
source: Today’s Zaman
Tags: Tourism & travel Turkey