The FINANCIAL — According to Today's Zaman, in the face of the negative effects of the global financial turbulence, Turkey's tourism industry has grown, attracting 14 percent more visitors this year than in 2007.
Kerim Çavuşoğlu, the president of the Turkish Association of Travel Agents (TÜRSAB), said the Turkish tourism sector was in good shape, adding that tourism activities were stimulated during the nine days of Eid al-Adha, or the Feast of the Sacrifice, holiday.
"We are encouraged with the positive developments in the sector," Çavuşoğlu said. "There is not yet a big problem, and it is most likely that this year's winter period will also bring more opportunities to the Turkish tourism industry than in the past few years."
He said Turkey had the potential to turn the adverse effects of the crisis to its own benefit. "Turkey is adventurous in many areas compared to its rivals in the tourism sector," he noted. "Most important of all, the foreign tourists can find services with cheaper prices here."
He also said he expected the negative atmosphere in the global markets to disperse soon and that tourism activities would be triggered as consumers' buying power increases. "We are hopeful for the next year," he added.
Antalya Culture and Tourism General Manager İbrahim Acar said Turkey has become a key player in the global tourism market, gaining more importance in its region. "This year, the number of tourists visiting Greece and Spain, two of Turkey's main rivals in tourism, increased by 2 percent compared with last year, while the increase in Turkey was around 14 percent, and it was 18 percent for Antalya," Acar said.
He noted that the tourists were happy with the services in Antalya, underlining that the city, with its high-quality tourism facilities, has become a center of attraction for foreign tourists. He noted that the Culture and Tourism Ministry also supported the private sector in improving the quality of services introduced.
Antalya saw 8.85 million tourists in the January to November period this year. The largest number of visitors to Antalya came from Germany, with 2.25 million tourists. The Russian Federation followed Germany with 2.18 million while Ukraine came third, sending 452,000 tourists to Antalya in the same period.
Discussion about this post