World Tourism Forum gathers tourism experts in Istanbul

The Global Meeting of the World Tourism Forum started at the Istanbul Congress Center yesterday after the summit was held in Moscow last month. Organized with the concept "Boundaries as Barriers: Smooth and Secure Travel" in collaboration with Turkuvaz Media as the main media sponsor, the two-day summit was opened by Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım with Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı, ministers of 20 countries and 3,000 guests also in attendance.

World Tourism Forum Chairman Bulut Bağcı said during his opening speech that they organized the third summit. "There is no other meeting in the world where so many top executives and tourism representatives attend. The work we do is of great importance for the tourism world, Turkey and the countries that send tourists to our country." Underlining that they will hold the following meetings in the United States, China and Qatar, Bağcı said they will bring together industry professionals in more than 40 sessions.

‘9.5 million people went abroad' Başaran Ulusoy, president of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), said that Turkey is not only waiting for customers, but is also a good customer itself. Reacting to visa applications on the Greek islands, Ulusoy said that in Turkey, 16.5 million people traveled in 2016, 9.5 million of whom went abroad. "If Greece is applying for visas, then this is its problem. We have a lot of places to go. Then we go to Cyprus," Ulusoy said, "We, as the tourism sector, find it difficult to understand the visa issuance on Turkey. Turkey is not a country to scratch but a country to be caressed."

Complementary campaigns Culture and Tourism Minister Avcı began his speech by recalling the "Bring Your Neighbors" campaign initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the "I adore this country" campaign initiated by Prime Minister Yıldırım. "I think that these complementary campaigns really have meaning beyond tourism and that they are very meaningful in terms of showing what ‘love of country' is, especially these days. I thank them very much," Avcı said.

Temporary loss Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek said the tourism industry's contribution to Turkey's GDP is around 12 percent, including the sector's direct and indirect effects. Stressing that infrastructure investments in tourism have an effect on income, Şimsek said: "If you can attract tourists, you need better infrastructure. In other words, tourism has an important effect on local economies as well." Şimşek, who emphasized the fact that tourism is a driving power for global growth, also commented on the decline in the number of tourists Turkey hosted last year and said: "2016 was a year that witnessed terrorist attacks as well as a coup attempt. Nevertheless, we welcomed 25 million tourists. We believe that the decline in the number of tourists is temporary. We will get back on track."