Turkish FM says he expects 50 million tourists by 2023

ANTALYA

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on May 28 said he hopes Turkey will attract 50 million tourists by 2023 and generate $50 billion in revenue from tourism.

Speaking at an event organized by the Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TYD) in the southern Antalya province, he said there has been a significant increase in the number of tourists in 2018.

“There is a significant increase in the number of tourists this year. Therefore, we are moving toward 50 million with decisive steps. Hopefully, we will reach 50 million tourists and $50 billion revenue by 2023,” he said, as quoted by state-run Anadolu Agency.

Turkey’s tourism revenue rose 31.3 percent in the first quarter of the year compared to the same period of 2017 and hit $4.43 billion, official data showed late in April.

More than 2.88 million foreigners visited the country in March, a 48 percent of year-on-year increase.

In the first three months of the year, 5.1 million foreigners visited Turkey by a nearly 35 percent year-on-year increase, with Iran, Georgia, Germany and Bulgaria becoming top markets.

Çavuşoğlu also said there is disinformation on social media claiming that the Culture and Tourism Ministry will be shut down.

He said such claims were incorrect, but the government is currently discussing if the two ministries should be separate entities or not.

“There are different opinions on this topic,” he added.