Cultural activities spending up in Turkey, survey reveals

ANKARA - Anadolu Agency

Spending on cultural activities and preservation in Turkey has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 10 years, according to a survey conducted by the Turkey-Europe Education and Scientific Research Foundation (TAVAK).

Archaeological excavations in Turkey have doubled in the last 10 years, up from 57 in 2002 to over 100 this year.

In all, the survey showed that spending has increased on museums, archaeology and cinema over the past decade.

The report indicated that the number of museum visitors increased fourfold from 7.4 million in 2002 to 28.4 million over the past decade and that income from museums and historical places had jumped tenfold from 26 million Turkish Liras in 2002 to 254 million liras in 2013.

Another factor that has influenced the upbeat results is that the budget allocated to the Culture and Tourism Ministry increased by a quarter to over $271 million over the last two years.

The ministry also increased financial support to the film industry, which already had a presence in Europe, but has prospered more recently in the Arab world. While financial support for the film industry from 1990 to 2004 was $5.7 million, the figure has reached a total of $108.4 million over the last seven years.