Minister Ersoy: “We’re diversifying tourism to extend it to 12 months”

Minister Ersoy emphasized that they were working hard to succeed, not sweeping any problems under the rug, stating, “We are developing permanent solutions. We are diversifying tourism with fields such as culture, history, health, nature, faith, gastronomy, and sports to extend tourism to 12 months.”

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy met with members of Eastern and Southeastern Associations and business people at a hotel in the Konyaaltı district of Antalya during an iftar program.

Ersoy explained that they had been conducting visits in Antalya for some time, meeting with tradesmen, business people, civil society organizations, and representatives of the tourism sector to evaluate the situation. He said, “In this context, by visiting our districts, we had the opportunity to examine the work done in our districts and to identify the shortcomings in our city. We listened to our citizens, shared concerns with our farmers, met with the press, and took note of the demands of the tradesmen. In short, we have penetrated every point of our beautiful city of Antalya, as if taking an X-ray of our city.”

Ersoy stated that efforts were being made to give strength to Antalya in its competition with world tourism capitals. He noted that due to some adverse global conditions, the tourism sector had faced significant challenges, saying:

“In an environment where everyone was deeply concerned, through the correct policies we implemented and the strategies we developed, we achieved great success both for our city and our country. In Antalya, we broke records with over 16 million visitors, including transit passengers, reaching the highest number of visitors of all time. Hopefully, we will reach even higher numbers this year. Can this success, millions of people redirecting their travel routes to Antalya, and people in Denmark researching Antalya’s cultural heritage be explained as mere coincidence? Certainly not. Rest assured, we are working very hard to be successful. We do not sweep any problems under the rug; we develop permanent solutions. We are diversifying tourism with fields such as culture, history, health, nature, faith, gastronomy, and sports to extend tourism to 12 months. Today, we are promoting Antalya, Kemer, and Side in more than 200 countries around the world.”

“WE ARE SOLVING INFRASTRUCTURE PROBLEMS“

Ersoy said they were promoting Antalya on the most-watched television channels worldwide, introducing Manavgat, Kemer, and Side in China, Japan, America, Germany, and Russia.

Highlighting that they were conducting the most intense archaeological studies in history to unearth the most important cultural heritage in human history in the region, Ersoy continued:

“We are bringing new libraries, museums, art centers, restorations, galleries, and festivals to Antalya. We ensure that the most watched international films are shot in Antalya.”

Ersoy also stated that despite over 16 million tourists visiting Antalya, there had not been sufficient progress in solving basic infrastructure problems.