Turkey's tourism sector expects upturn this year

Struggling through the financial crisis, Turkey’s tourism sector is expected to substantially recover this year, and make a leap in 2011.

The most realistic target for 2010 is a currency intake of $22.5 billion and a total of 28 million tourists, said local authorities, adding that it is necessary to implement centralized advertising to achieve this goal.

Even in 2009, when the effects of the economic crisis were most severely felt, Turkey’s tourism went on prospering, although it reduced speed compared to previous years. The number of tourist arrivals amounted to 27 million, and the sector income reached $21 billion.

“2010 will be the recovery year, while 2011 will be the leap year for Turkey’s tourism,” said Ahmet Barut, head of the Turkey Hotels Federation, or TÜROFED.

The financial crisis will be felt throughout the 2010 tourism year; however, Turkey’s tourism will continue to grow in small numbers, possibly 3 to 4 percent, Barut said, adding that there is no need for panic.

Agreeing with Barut, Akay Okudur, chairman of the board of Akay Travel Services, said it is evident even today that the sector will begin to shed the effects of the financial crisis this year.

“Normally January is the dead season of the tourism sector; however, sales have much surpassed those of last January. We, as Akay Tur, expect a rise of 50,000 tourists in 2010. Surely Antalya’s tourism will experience a rise of millions of tourists within the year,” he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review. 

Noting that the summer resort of Antalya has already become an important brand for the publicity of Turkey, Okudur said, “We should try to benefit from this by making more, and proper, investments in the region.”

Promotion and development firm

In order to attract more investment to the region and increase the overall quality of the tourism facilities, it is compulsory to conduct an extensive and well-planned advertising policy, the local authorities agreed. However, this policy should be a centralized one rather than having a fragmented structure, such as the one Antalya tourism suffers from today.

In an attempt to bring individual advertising work under one roof, the Antalya Chamber of Trade and Industry initiated the project of the Antalya Promotion and Tourism Development Company.

“With this new project, the promotional work for Antalya will be conducted via one centralized body, like many tourism destinations do abroad,” said Osman Çetin Budak, chairman of the chamber.

Noting that they have established the necessary infrastructure for the project, Budak also said that more than 30 associations, unions and chambers have tried to publicize their districts in their own way, but have been unable to achieve their targets fully because they have limited sources and budgets.

“We can join our forces and penetrate both the national and the international markets better with a joint budget," he said.