Turkey, one of the world’s largest tourist destinations, is all set to welcome 50 million tourists in 2019, according to the government’s projection.

 

This projection is further rooted in the increased interest in Göbeklitepe — cited as one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 21st century, this 12,000-year-old temple was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 2018 and is expected to draw heavy interest from the scientific community, historians and tourists alike.

 

Turkey is returning to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM), taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from April 28 to May 1, with an 800-sq-m stand that will host 35 leading travel and tour operators.

 

Turkey welcomed over 46 million visitors in 2018, including 39.49 million foreigners and 6.62 million Turkish citizens from abroad. The country recorded $29.5 billion worth of earnings from foreign tourist spending in 2018.

 

Its participation at the ATM 2019 seeks to rebrand the country as a luxury tourism destination while retaining its appeal among average budget travellers. Its exhibition stand is split into two sub-pavilions: one under the Ministry of Tourism, and the other under Turkish Airline. Turkish Pavilion will offer a glimpse of the country’s fusion of rich Euro-Asian, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures.

 

Salih Ozer, attaché of culture and information, Turkey to the UAE, said: “Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in Turkey, and we are now focusing on the luxury travel destinations and services that will raise the profile of Turkey on the global tourism map. We welcome travel and tour operators from across the region to our pavilion at the ATM to strengthen their ties with our travel and tourism partners. Turkey remains an oasis of peace and tranquillity and offers a large number of tourist attractions. It offers greater value for money when compared to other popular tourist destinations across the world."

 

Turkey is one of the largest outbound tourism markets for people living in the Gulf countries. Tourism revenues increased 12.3 per cent, reaching $29.5 billion in 2018, in comparison with $26.2 collected in 2017. Official data revealed that 81.8 per cent of the income came from foreign visitors and 18.2 per cent from Turkish citizens living abroad. –TradeArabia News Service