Foreign tourists massively began to choose the Black Sea region of Turkey for recreation, which previously developed mainly in industry, and not in tourism. Today, the destination is experiencing rapid development and is becoming a new favorite, however, among foreign tourists, mainly from Middle Eastern countries. This increase in tourist activity in the region was confirmed by data from the Turkish publication Hurriyet.
According to the data, the growth of tourist popularity is connected with the fact that the cities of this region have joined the club of tourist centers. This allows Turkey to offer more options to foreign holidaymakers, expanding their choice when planning their holiday.
Special attention is drawn to Trabzon province, where tourist activity is growing rapidly. For example, last year more than 515,000 tourists rested there, of which 222,000 were foreign guests. As for the current year, already in the first seven months, this indicator has increased to 737,000 tourists.
Turkish Minister of Transport Abdulkadir Uraloglu emphasized that the Black Sea, thanks to its natural beauty, high mountain regions, and large sea coast, is becoming more and more important as a tourist center. “It also opens up new prospects for the local economy,” the official believes.
But where the tourist flow is growing, a modern airport capable of serving it is needed. There is no such in Trabzon yet, but there is an outdated one that mainly accepts domestic rather than foreign vacationers. Currently, it ranks seventh in the busiest domestic routes and tenth in the number of foreign passengers in Turkey.
Meanwhile, the number of travelers in the Black Sea city is growing. For example, Minister Uraloglu noted that on June 30, this airport served a record number of passenger airliners. About 4,000 planes from Germany, Azerbaijan, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Jordan landed at Trabzon airport this summer. The information was confirmed by the Vice President of the Federation of Turkish Hoteliers (TÜROFED) Murat Toktaş.
Covid and Antalya’s overcrowding boosted tourism
The northern coast of Turkey has started to attract tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic. Volkan Kantarci, representative of the Black Sea region in the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), made this conclusion. “We haven’t seen such a strong interest in the region before,” the official stated, adding that the city center and the highlands around Trabzon are crowded with tourists 3-4 months a year, which has a positive effect on the local economy. “As more tourists arrive, restaurants, hotels, and souvenir shops are expanding their businesses to meet the demand.”
However, Kantarcha fears that the situation may get out of control and “Trabzon may turn into a second Antalya.” “We have to act with some caution. The capacity of accommodation facilities should increase, and more inspections should be conducted at these facilities,” the expert added.
Most tourists go to Trabzon because of marketing strategies, he said. “One of the reasons for this is that there are direct flights to the city from foreign countries. Demand has long exceeded supply… The local tourism industry has not handled this situation properly. It was a rather uncontrolled growth of tourist activity,” he said.
Toktas also suggested promoting the provinces in the Central Black Sea region and directing more international flights to these cities. There is a massive demand for these provinces, but tourists cannot travel there because there are not enough flights to these destinations, Toktas said. “If tourist activity remains limited to Trabzon, this situation cannot be sustainable,” the specialist emphasized.
In the past, the Black Sea region of Turkey was an important center of industry. This region is known for coal mining, agriculture, and logging. And such cities as Samsun, Trabzon, and Rize played a key role in the development of these sectors. Coal mining and woodworking were essential sources of income for residents.
But over time, the Turkish Black Sea began to shift its emphasis from industry to tourism. This evolution was made possible by the region’s unique natural and cultural resources. Waterfalls, mountains, beautiful beaches, and rich cultural heritage attract tourists from all over the world. In addition, the climate on the Northern coast of the country in summer is not as hot as in Antalya.