“Turkey does not need new beds, but quality tourism,” Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy outlined such a change in the concept of tourism.
Turkey subscribes to the global trend of reorientation from mass tourism to tourism only for the rich and says “goodbye rogue” to “budget” visitors. Naturally, all this is done under the slogan of the need for “quality tourism”, the preservation of nature, culture, etc.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the ancient city of Olympos in Antalya, Mr. Ersoy confirmed that Turkey’s immediate plans are to receive 60 million tourists and 56 billion in income in 2023, according to the Turkish press. At the same time, the minister noted that the main goal would not be “new beds”, but “quality tourism”.
The minister stressed that they have set the criteria for Turkey’s sustainable tourism program for accommodation facilities, and compliance with these criteria has become mandatory, and further stated the following:
“We do not need the number of beds, especially in Antalya. We need to qualify tourism to sustainably protect our cultural and natural heritage, which distinguishes it from our competitors, and manage it most accurately and safely.”
The minister also announced plans to study the capacity in the regions, analyze the quality of hotels, and then take measures to improve the quality of accommodation facilities to raise their standards.