Mehmet Ersoy

Turkish authorities have orchestrated the return of 12,135 smuggled historical artifacts over the past 22 years, with the country gearing up to welcome back more than 8,600 cultural treasures in the upcoming period.

Türkiye ranks first in bookings in the tourism market of the United Kingdom, Benelux and Scandinavian countries and Germany, a sector representative has announced.

Veteran theater and cinema actress Ayla Algan has died of a brain hemorrhage in Istanbul at the age of 86.

Algan suddenly fell ill while reading a script at home around 7 p.m. on Jan. 4 and was taken to Taksim Acıbadem Hospital, her relatives said.

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.

Tourism Minister Mehmet Ersoy met with Ecumenical Patriarch Vartholomeos in Istanbul on Saturday and discussed issues affecting the Patriarchate, according to a press release from the Patriarchate.

Netflix, an American-based streaming service, in line with their latest investment in Turkey, has announced to open their office in Istanbul, Turkey's prominent metropolitan city.

This step will create a more powerful way for productions in Turkey to be promoted worldwide, according to a statement made by Netflix, which has 195 million subscribers worldwide.

Turkey started to carry out telephone diplomacy with 70 countries to inform them about the country's health infrastructure over the pandemic, the culture and tourism minister said on May 18. 

Turkey in a certification system detailed that the country is a safe place for tourism, regarding measures against COVID-19, said Mehmet Nuri Ersoy in a written statement.

Turkey has been holding talks with the U.K, Russia and Germany ahead of the tourism season to lure holidaymakers to the country as Ankara anticipates a revival in tourism activities in July.

The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has raised its advertising budget tenfold with the establishment of a new development agency, the tourism minister said.

A library consisting of 2,550 books will be opened at Istanbul Airport with a ceremony on Oct. 11. The ceremony will be attended by Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.