Turkish tourism sector set to lure more young tourists

ISTANBUL

The Aegean resort city of Bodrum is one of the most popular spots for young local and foreign tourists. DHA Photo

Turkey’s tourism authorities are set to develop a new campaign to attract more young tourists between the ages of 7-27, in hopes of creating more income and increasing Turkey’s popularity, said the head of the top tourism association in the county in a written statement Nov. 23.
 
“We need to attract more young tourists who use social media very effectively and travel to discover the world. We aim to increase the number of young tourists visiting Turkey above the current 8.5 million per year, in order to increase the popularity of our country across the world,” said Başaran Ulusoy, head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).

More tourism facilities for young tourists are needed in Turkey, he added.

According to the association’s ‘Youth Tourism 2015’ report, some 8.5 million of the 33.8 million tourists who visited Turkey in 2013 were between the ages of 7-27. Additionally, some one-fourth of domestic travelers were also young people within that age range. More than 75 percent of all young tourists, domestic or foreign, spent an average of over 500 euros during each visit, said the report.

Some 20 percent of the 1 billion tourists across the globe each year are young people, according to data from the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations (UNWTO). This means some 200 million young people travel to have fun, to rest, to learn and to discover the world each year. This number is expected to increase to 300 million within the next six years, and they are expected to spend more than $320 billion annually. The most popular destinations for young tourists are Australia and the United States, followed by Great Britain.

“Turkey has now started to develop projects to lure more young tourists, as many other countries do,” the report stated. However, it added there are unfortunately very few facilities for young tourists and more facilities must be developed.

“We also need to develop more staff that will be qualified to work in such facilities,” it said.