Tourism in Turkey: The Key Facts

27th March 2008

Tourism in Turkey is undergoing massive restructuring in order to reach the ultimate aim of welcoming 50 million visitors each year, by the year 2023.

To satisfy this aim, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has put in place a number of strategies to ensure those who have already visited Turkey to visit more often, and to attract those who have never previously been.

These strategies include concentrating on what the country, and the individual regions have to offer in terms of golf, winter sports and cruise ship and yacht tourism, and more.

Popular tourists destinations such as Altinkum and Bodrum are looking at improving and expanding golf tourism, planning sporting and recreational centres and theme parks and building high-quality shopping malls to ensure that there is something for everyone.

On top of this, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is looking to improve the transportation infrastructure to make getting to Turkey easier, and make the rest of the country more accessible once you're there.

All these strategies will be backed up by education as tourism education will be compulsory in schools, and those wanting to work in the tourism sector can undertake a degree programme to ensure that new opportunities are constantly developed in the future, and that all tourism is sustainable and eco-friendly.

The figures for the number of tourists who visited Turkey in 2007 was up 19.4% on the figures from 2006, 8.7% up the figures from 2005 and a massive 36.8% on the figures from 2004.

Gordon Lyons, director of International Property Agents commented "It is fair to say these plans are ambitious, but they show how seriously Turkey is taking it's tourism industry, and this can only be good news for investors.

"Turkey is fast presenting itself as a place where holiday makers, golfers, shoppers, keen sailors and property investors want to be, and this will only be increased by the investment occurring now and in the future.

"The fact that the tourism figures have increased by over one third over the past three years shows that the aim to reach 50 million visitors per year by 2023 is not unfounded. Investments such as the new marina in Altinkum are already attracting potential property investors who are wanting to invest at a low price now, and see their investment grow in line with the popularity of the area."