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Türkiye plans to establish a tourism corridor connecting seven southeastern provinces to promote their shared historical, cultural and natural heritage through joint travel routes, marketing campaigns and investment projects.
The initiative will bring together Gaziantep, Kilis, Hatay, Osmaniye, Kahramanmaraş, Adıyaman and Şanlıurfa, aiming to boost tourism across the region and support local economic development.
Culture and Tourism Deputy Minister Nadir Alpaslan chaired a preparatory meeting in Gaziantep, co-organized by the local municipality and governor’s office, to review the project for a regional development workshop.
In his address, Alpaslan praised Gaziantep’s successful ongoing transformation into a global tourism destination and a premier center for culture and gastronomy. He highlighted Gaziantep’s inclusion in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network for gastronomy and initiatives such as Visit Gaziantep, a digital platform that uses technology to help visitors plan their trips.
Alpaslan said the broader region, encompassing the Euphrates basin and Mesopotamia, had considerable potential to become a major global tourism destination through cooperation among its provinces.
The proposed corridor could connect some of southeastern Türkiye’s most prominent attractions, including Gaziantep’s Zeugma Mosaic Museum and historic bazaar, Şanlıurfa’s ancient archaeological site of Göbeklitepe, Adıyaman’s Mount Nemrut, Hatay’s historic city center and archaeological heritage and Kahramanmaraş’s historic castle. Kilis and Osmaniye would also contribute their cultural and natural attractions to the regional network.
Gaziantep Mayor Fatma Şahin said the region was entering a new era in tourism, culture and the arts, emphasizing the role of technology in improving visitors’ travel experiences. She said the municipality had developed an artificial intelligence-powered system allowing visitors to create personalized itineraries directly on their mobile phones without assistance. “We are trying to make our cities a smart and green region,” Şahin said, adding that the initiative aimed to improve urban environments while making tourism more accessible.
Gaziantep Governor Kemal Çeber said coordinated planning among the seven provinces would be essential to realizing the region’s tourism potential, stressing that the cities should approach one another as partners rather than competitors.
