Association of Turkish Travel Agencies

Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya, an international tourism destination with numerous facilities, has become the country's leading convention tourism city, according to a sector representative. Some 24.3 percent of convention and event managing companies pick Antalya, said Volkan Ataman, the general manager of Turizm Medya Grubu, at the ACE of M.I.C.E.

Despite the ongoing political turmoil in the Middle East, Turkey?s Mediterranean resort town of Marmaris, already popular among British and Russians tourists, is becoming an increasingly popular center of attraction for Arab tourists.

Turkish tourism players have their eyes set on Japanese tourists, as they look to diversify incoming tourist sources over looming retreats in Russia and European markets, a top representative of the sector has said.

The government is planning new incentives for tour operators and airlines, as part of measures to boost tourism income amid problems in neighboring countries, particularly the economic crisis in Russia and the depreciation of the ruble.

Over 550,000 tourists visited Turkey in 2014 for sporting reasons, spending more than $900 million, said the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) in a written statement on Jan. 31. 

The head of Turkey’s top tourism organization says cheaper plane tickets would attract more tourists to Turkey from crisis-hit Russia. The crisis in Europe may create opportunities for the Turkish tourism businesses if airlines reflect the fall in oil prices on their ticket fees, according to Başaran Ulusoy, the head of the country’s leading tourism organization. 

The number of winter tourists in Turkey has doubled over the last decade, increasing from 2.7 million in 2004 to 4.8 million this year, but more investments are needed to realize the country's potential in the sector, said the latest Winter Tourism report of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

Turkey has been unable to exploit its full faith tourism potential and the number of faith tourists visiting Turkey last year hit a 10-year low, according to the latest report by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB). Sector representatives, however, are hopeful for a rise in the number of faith tourists in the near future after Pope Francis’ visit to Turkey in November. 

Turkey’s tourism authorities are set to develop a new campaign to attract more young tourists between the ages of 7-27, in hopes of creating more income and increasing Turkey’s popularity, said the head of the top tourism association in the county in a written statement Nov. 23.
 

Turkey welcomes the sixth most number of tourists every year.