Türkiye, China sign deal on tourism cooperation

ANKARA

Türkiye and China have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation.

Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy met with his Chinese counterpart, Sun Yeli on June 5 in Istanbul.

Following their meeting, the two ministers signed the MoU on tourism cooperation, outlining collaborative plans for tourism investment, promotion and marketing, program exchanges, as well as the preservation and promotion of both nations’ cultural heritage.

Ersoy and Sun vowed to enhance cooperation based on mutual benefit.

“We wish to establish much closer relations between Türkiye and the People's Republic of China, both culturally and in the field of tourism,” Ersoy wrote on the social media platform X.

The two sides have also agreed to establish direct collaboration between their specialized institutions and organizations in these areas, according to a statement from Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications.

The statement noted that Türkiye has been actively working to enhance its appeal to Chinese tourists. In 2023, 248,000 Chinese tourists visited the country.

In the first four months of 2024, Türkiye welcomed nearly 112,000 Chinese visitors, marking a 131 percent increase compared with the same period of last year. Chinese holidaymakers accounted for a little more than 1 percent of all foreign tourist arrivals in Türkiye in the January-April period.

In April alone, the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country surged 100 percent year-on-year to around 35,000.

Last month, Ersoy stated that Türkiye aims to attract more tourists from Asian countries as it wants to become one of the top three tourist destinations in the world.

“The Asian markets are now on Türkiye’s radar, Ersoy said. “We are working on a joint project with Turkish Airlines for the markets we want to grow fast,” he said.