Turkey: Tourism Report
27th March 2008Figures from the Turkish Statistical Institute have shown that the number of foreigners who visited Turkey in 2007 increased by 19.4% when compared with the figures from 2006.
In 2007, Turkey saw just over 23 million foreigners visit Turkey, compared with over 19 million who visited the country in 2006.
The biggest monthly increase in the number of visitors was in October; with nearly two and a half million visitors in that one month alone. This sharp increase shows how the foreign holiday market is beginning to appreciate that Turkey's summer season lasts well into October; with temperatures reaching as high as 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees Farenheit) in October 2007, and of course, the sunshine is all but guaranteed.
These figures reiterate how Turkey's popularity amongst tourists is increasing, and given the programme implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism it is likely that Turkey is achieving it's goal of increasing the tourism it attracts.
The number of Brits visiting Turkey has also increased from 2006 to 2007, by 14.4% over the course of the year. Amazingly, the months which experienced the biggest increase in visitors from the UK were January and February - testament, probably, to the search for a warmer climate and some sunshine.
2007's figures are 8.7% up on the tourism figures for 2005, and a massive 36.8% on the figures from 2004.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has plans in place to develop and sustain Turkey's tourism. The new marina in Altinkum - on which construction has already begun, is just one of the many changes happening in popular tourist destinations.
The 'Tourism Strategy of Turkey - 2023' report from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism details what Turkey's tourism aims and objectives are - and how the Ministry intends to achieve them.
One of the objectives of the plan; namely the 'Tourism Industry Master Plan' is to boost the cooperation between the public and private sectors of tourism, whilst ensuring the development of the sector is sustainable.
There are many strands to achieving these broad aims; including developing sections of the industry such as golf, winter sports, mountain climbing, cruise ship and yacht tourism and so on. The Ministry is aware that in order to achieve it's aim of 'becoming a world brand in tourism and a major destination in the list of the top five countries receiving highest number of tourists', the tourism attractions must be diverse, easy to access, and eco-friendly.
To this end, areas which experiencing high levels of tourism, such as Bodrum and Altinkum, are looking at creating golfing areas, planning sporting and recreational areas, creating entertainment centres and theme parks, and building high-quality shopping malls to ensure diversity; essentially; that there's something for everyone.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also considered the possibility of extending the tourism season by diversifying the available tourism products, including identifying suitable areas for golf projects which can be developed by the Turkish Golf Federation.
The transportation infrastructure section of the document details that motorways, fast track trains, airports and cruise ship and yacht marinas will be constructed to make getting to Turkey easier, and make the rest of the country more accessible once you're there.
In line with improving the transportation infrastructure, all existing airports will be restored in addition to new airports being built; again, with the aim of increasing accessibility by foreigners.
These plans have been carefully and strategically thought through - and the degree of success achieved by the plans will be measured by The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's 'National Tourism Databank Unit' which will hold statistical data, field research and findings and measurements about the travel and tourism industries.
Each region is being considered in it's own right, so the Ministry will take into consideration the region's natural benefits; in line with the strategy of making the most of natural benefits in order to promote and achieve eco-friendly tourism. To this end, existing tourism sites will be restored in order to ensure they are sustainable and high quality.
Planning each area individually will help to avoid a build up of mass-tourism in unsuitable areas, and layout tourism planning will ensure that certain regions are designed for coping large amounts of tourism; making the experience pleasurable for everyone.
Yet another strand that will be implemented in order to achieve the strategy is education; in that tourism education will be compulsory in schools, and those wanting to work in the tourism industry can undertake a degree programme, which will include education about eco-friendly and sustainable tourism. Awareness will also be raised in public and private tourism companies and NGOs.
All these changes and improvements to the tourism infrastructure will be communicated to potential tourists through public relations, mass promotion and e-promotion; to encourage those who have already visited Turkey to increase the frquency of their visits, and to attract those who have previously never been.
All the actions underlines in the plan will be monitored and evaluated on an ongoing basis to ensure the Ministry of Culture and Tourism are always aware of how the tourism infrastructure is improving, and how the improvements affect the levels of tourism visiting the region, and of course, Turkey.