Meeting with tourism professionals at the Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy explained their ambition to increase tourism revenue to 100 billion dollars by 2028, aiming to become the third highest earning country in the world from tourism. Ersoy said, “We have a target of 100 billion dollars by 2028. We will achieve this step by step, executing all plans on time and making the right moves. This doesn’t happen by itself. It happens through systematic and programmed work. Everyone has responsibilities. As the central government, we have our duties.”
Reminding that the capacity of Antalya Airport will double by 2025, Ersoy stated, “The tender for Antalya Airport was held in 2021. Construction has started. There will be a 30% increase in capacity this year, and by 2025, it will become an airport with double its current capacity.”
However, the Minister of Tourism noted that building airports is not the end of the job, saying, “We need to transport guests arriving through these airports to their hotels quickly and safely via the correct routes. Therefore, there was a great need for the Alanya-Antalya highway. With this tender, we will try to open the highways partially in the coming years and integrate them into our lives.”
Türkiye expects 1 million Saudi tourists!
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Ersoy, reporting that Türkiye welcomed 500,000 visitors from Saudi Arabia in 2022 and 800,000 in 2023, expressed hope for the arrival of 1 million Saudi tourists this year.
At a panel held during the Türkiye-Saudi Arabia Investment and Business Forum, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, with the collaboration of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey Investment Office and the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), speeches were made by the Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek, the Investment Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Khalid A. Al Falih, and the Tourism Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ahmed Al Khateeb.
Minister Mehmet Ersoy, mentioning that Türkiye received 500,000 visitors from Saudi Arabia in 2022 and 800,000 in 2023, and hoping for 1 million Saudi tourists this year, stated, “The introduction of an electronic visa for Turkish citizens has increased visits by Turks to Saudi Arabia. We have lifted the visa requirements for our Saudi guests. I believe this will also increase the number of visitors.”