Turkey is among the countries that implement the most effective and large-scale promotional activities in the field of tourism, said Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.
Ersoy participated in the 3rd Global Gastroeconomics Summit organized by the Tourism, Restaurant and Gastronomy Investors Association (TURYID).
Speaking at the event, the head of the Ministry of Culture drew attention to the importance of raising awareness and promotional activities in the tourism sector.
“We are promoting the holiday theme in Turkey to target markets in 140 countries around the world, including through television, print media and digital media. Through Go Türkiye, one of the most successful digital platforms in the world, we share the culture and leisure options in Turkey. The Go Turkey portal received about 80 million clicks last year. Our goal for 2022 is 200 million clicks. This promotional activity has brought us over 30 million tourists and $24.5 billion in revenue in 2021,” he said.
The Minister recalled that according to the data of the UN World Tourism Organization for 2021, Turkey has risen to 4th place in the list of “countries hosting the largest number of tourists in the world.” According to him, about 80 percent of all tourists in the world consider the variety of food and drinks the most important criteria when choosing tourist destinations.
“We can say that this year Istanbul is returning to pre-pandemic conditions. By 2024 or 2025, we have a goal to make Istanbul one of the cruise destinations in Europe. I hope that in the new era, Istanbul will become a city that will be remembered for records,” he said.
According to Ersoy, the second Beyoglu Cultural Path Festival will be held from May 28 to June 12.
More than 1500 different events will be organized within the framework of the festival.