Ankara tourism sector seeks lasting gains from NATO summit

ANKARA

The international attention generated by NATO’s July summit in Ankara should be converted into sustained tourism demand, the head of the Ankara Tourism Association has said.

Berker Bülbüloğlu said the July 7-8 gathering demonstrated the capital’s capacity to host diplomatic meetings, congresses and other international events.

“Ankara did not merely host world leaders at the NATO summit. It also demonstrated its strength as a city of diplomacy, congresses and international events,” Bülbüloğlu said.

“We must now turn this global attention into lasting tourism demand.”

He said Ankara’s hotels, congress centers, diplomatic institutions, transport infrastructure and trained workforce provided a strong reference for attracting future conferences, business meetings and diplomatic gatherings.

Bülbüloğlu proposed establishing an “Ankara Tourism Digital Dashboard” to monitor online searches, flight demand, hotel inquiries, social media reach and their conversion into bookings.

He also called for multilingual campaigns aimed at people who viewed summit-related content or searched for Ankara online. Such campaigns could promote Anıtkabir, the ancient city of Gordion, the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations and Beypazarı, alongside the capital’s gastronomy, health services and weekend routes.

Bülbüloğlu said direct air links between Ankara and cities including Sarajevo, Bucharest and St. Petersburg should be incorporated into the same tourism strategy.

“Launching a new route is only the beginning,” he said.

“Keeping it viable and attracting regular visitors from the other market requires a strong promotion strategy.”

He proposed emphasizing historical and cultural ties in Sarajevo, weekend tourism, shopping and gastronomy in Bucharest, and cultural, health and thermal tourism in St. Petersburg.