Speaking at the "Palandöken Economic Forum" hosted in Erzurum city, Minister Ersoy stated that as of 2024, Türkiye has become one of the world’s four largest tourism economies, and their ultimate goal is to break into the top three.
"Tourism is an ecosystem: Culture, diplomacy, innovation, and trade"
During his address, Ersoy emphasized that in the era of smart economies, tourism is no longer merely a leisure activity.
"Tourism is an ecosystem — it is culture, diplomacy, innovation, and trade. It supports local development, fuels the growth of SMEs, and most importantly, increases employment opportunities for women and young people. It is the most effective tool in connecting societies across borders by removing barriers between them," he said.
"We are pushing the limits"
Ersoy noted that Türkiye is taking swift and decisive steps to align with global trends and fully harness its tourism potential:
"As Türkiye, we are pushing the limits in every sense. We closed 2024 with $61.1 billion in revenue and 62.3 million visitors. In 2023, we ranked fifth globally in terms of visitor numbers. The World Tourism Organization will soon release its official figures, but we expect to have ended 2024 ranked fourth. We have succeeded in becoming one of the world’s top four tourism economies — but we will not stop there. Our goal is to be among the top three, and to achieve this, the public and private sectors must work hand in hand and intensify their efforts," he stated.
Tourism's contribution to GDP reaches 12%
Minister Ersoy highlighted that the travel and tourism sector currently contributes approximately 12% to Türkiye’s GDP, with this figure steadily rising:
"Tourism directly and indirectly provides employment to millions and makes a significant contribution to the country's current account balance. It plays a crucial role in ensuring the stable growth of our economy," he added.
"We must remove artificial barriers"
Ersoy also discussed the importance of air bridges in boosting tourism, noting that detailed discussions and decisions were made during meetings with tourism ministers from the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) member countries.
"Although we have created all the necessary conditions for air bridges, artificial barriers such as slot restrictions are being imposed. First, we need to eliminate these obstacles and rapidly increase the number of air bridges," he urged.
"Countries dominant in oil and trade now seek a share in tourism"
Highlighting the changing dynamics of the global economy, Ersoy pointed out that many countries traditionally strong in oil and trade now aim to expand into tourism:
"This means we are entering a phase where we must adhere strictly to regulations, adopt the right strategies, and grow collaboratively without compromise. I firmly believe that the full tourism potential of Türkiye and all ECO member states can be realized. We simply need to support each other and accelerate our growth together," he concluded.