Ersoy

Foreign nationals visiting Istanbul's Hagia Sophia for tourism purposes will be subject to an entrance fee starting from Jan. 15, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

Tourists wishing to visit Hagia Sophia in Istanbul will have to pay admission starting in January 2024, the country's culture minister announced on Tuesday.

The 1,500-year-old Byzantine cathedral, which was converted from a museum into a mosque by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2020, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and receives over 3.5 million visitors a year.

The 10th destination of the Türkiye Cultural Road Festivals, one of the most comprehensive culture and arts projects organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, is the Ephesus Cultural Road Festival.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic, the "Türkiye's Treasures" digital collection is available online on the Google Arts & Culture Platform.

Alamy Photo

Authorities are working on new regulations for short-term rentals, which business associations say are severely impacting hotels in Antalya, one of Türkiye's major tourist destinations.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced that regulations will be introduced for the increasingly popular short-term rental sector, ensuring both taxation of service providers and the disclosure of identity information of those who benefit from the accommodation.

The tourism sector in Türkiye witnessed a notable resurgence in demand as the number of tourists visiting the country during the first six months of 2023 increased by an impressive 17 percent, surpassing the 22 million mark, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.

A centuries-old tomb stele smuggled from the ancient Turkish city of Zeugma to Italy has been returned to its home, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on July 13.

A stele is a standing stone slab used in the ancient world for several purposes, including grave and tomb markers, dedications, commemorations and demarcations.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry has restored the 140-year Alsancak Tekel (Monopoly) Factory in İzmir and transformed it into the İzmir Culture and Art Factory, which has recently become one of the popular destinations for residents.

Türkiye will seek to lure more tourists from the U.S., South America, Far East, Asia and Gulf nations while continuing to focus on existing strategic markets, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has said.