“Turkey does not need new beds, but quality tourism,” – this is how the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy outlined the 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 to “budget” visitors – “goodbye, poor people”. Of course, this is done under the slogan of the need for “quality tourism”, preservation of nature, culture, etc.
As reported in the Turkish press, Mr. Ersoy, speaking to journalists after visiting the ancient city of Olympos in Antalya, confirmed that Turkey’s immediate plans are to receive 60 million tourists and 56 billion in revenue in 2023.
At the same time, the minister noted that the main goal will not be “new beds”, but “quality tourism”.
The minister emphasized that they have established the criteria of Turkey’s sustainable tourism program for accommodation facilities, and compliance with these criteria has become mandatory, and then he said the following. “We don’t need the number of beds, especially in Antalya. We need to make tourism qualified to sustainably protect our cultural and natural heritage, which distinguishes it from our competitors, and to manage it in the most accurate and safe way. 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 in order to raise their standards.