“Tourism Week Evaluation: Turkey has not yet reached its true potential”
Turkey continues to be one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, thanks to its natural beauties, historical heritage, and its ability to host thousands of events related to business and culture. According to the Global Travel Report by the World Travel Market, Turkey is expected to surpass France, the second most visited country in Europe after Spain, in 2024. Ferzan Çelikkanat, General Manager of Er Yatırım, who evaluated Tourism Week, emphasized that particular focus should be given to congress tourism and stated, “Turkey has not yet reached its true potential.”
Turkey offers many reasons to be one of the world’s key tourism destinations, from its sea and nature to its historical heritage, cultural activities, shopping areas hosting global brands, and being a center of attraction for the global business world. The data compiled for Tourism Week, celebrated between April 15-22, shows that the number of visitors to Turkey continues to rise every year. According to the World Travel Market’s Global Travel Report, although the number of tourists traveling to Europe decreased in 2019 and 2023, Turkey saw an astonishing 73% increase in visitor numbers compared to 2019. The report highlights that Turkey is expected to surpass France and become the second most visited country in Europe after Spain in 2024.
“For effective tourism, congress tourism should be increased”
Ferzan Çelikkanat, the General Manager of Er Yatırım, which aims to build 20 hotels with an investment of 300 million dollars over the next 10 years, and a member of the Marriott EMEA Advisory Board, stated that while interest in tourism in Turkey is increasing every year, the country has not yet reached its full potential. He pointed out that nearly 70% of tourists still visit Turkey for sea, sun, and sand. “For effective, efficient, and sustainable tourism, we need to increase congress and health tourism. The reality is, while revenues in the sector increased in 2023, profitability dropped significantly, and with rising costs, tourism professionals struggled to manage their expenses. So, 2023 was a year that did not leave much profit for tourism professionals. For tourism in Turkey to reach the desired level, especially its huge potential in congress and meeting tourism needs to be unlocked. This requires proper promotional and marketing strategies, with continued investment in this area,” he said.
Er Yatırım, which aims to be a branded urban hotel investor, signed an agreement with Marriott Group in 2014 to obtain the franchise rights of Four Points by Sheraton, and continues to build 3- and 4-star business hotels in city centers or major thoroughfares that are easily accessible for working groups.
Interest in business and health tourism is increasing
International data also shows increasing demand for business and health tourism to Turkey. According to the 2023 Tourism Sector Assessment Report prepared by Ernst & Young (EY), the number of people visiting Turkey for health services in the first half of 2023 reached 746,290, and the revenue from health tourism amounted to $1.033 billion. Congress and meeting tourism also hold significant value in the sector, especially due to the high revenue it generates. Research shows that visitors coming for congress tourism spend approximately four times more than regular tourists. UNWTO‘s studies indicate that congress tourism is the fastest-growing sector in tourism.
Tourism revenue grows by 16.9%
According to Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) data, tourism revenue in 2023 increased by 16.9% compared to the previous year, reaching $54.315 billion. Of this revenue, $41.061 billion came from personal expenditures, and $13.254 billion came from package tour expenses. The average spending per visitor per night was $99, with annual expenditures on sports, education, and culture increasing by 70.7%, dining and drinking expenditures by 33.2%, and accommodation expenses by 27% compared to 2022. The top reason for visits was tourism, entertainment, sports, and cultural activities with 67.6%, followed by visiting relatives and friends at 20.6%, and shopping at 4.9%. Business visits such as conferences and meetings accounted for 2.9%.
27% increase in employment
According to the TÜİK report on Tourism Satellite Account Statistics for 2019-2022, the direct gross added value from tourism in Turkey reached 586.76 billion Turkish lira in 2022, with a share of 4.4% of the total gross added value. The number of people employed directly in tourism sectors increased by 27% to 885,000 compared to the previous year. During this period, tourism employment accounted for 2.9% of total employment.
131 new hotel projects with 17 billion TL investment incentive
Turkey’s appeal in tourism is also reflected in investments. Not only local but also foreign investors are striving to be part of this attractive sector. In the past 10 years, 9 out of the world’s 10 largest hotel chains have started operating in Turkey. According to an investment report prepared by TÜROB based on the Investment Incentive Certificates data from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, 131 new hotel projects were linked to 17 billion TL in investment incentives in the first half of 2023. The report shows that Istanbul led with 28 projects, followed by Antalya with 18, and Muğla with 10 projects. Trabzon, the province in the Black Sea region that attracted the most investments, ranked 4th with 8 projects, while Van came 5th with 7 projects.
