The government has taken action to reinvigorate tourism in line with the goals of its 2023 vision. As such, the tourism market will be expanded with promotional organizations established in Asian countries. In addition, the sectors of health, winter tourism and highland tourism will be expanded amid efforts to ensure that 50 million tourists spend their vacations in Turkey.
The Culture and Tourism Ministry's latest moves will bring a new impetus to tourism. Thanks to the launching of the projects by the General Directorate of Promotion and various tourism agencies, the tourism market will expand with cultural, economic and commercial cooperation with Asian countries that have high tourism potential. Relations with China, which declared 2018 to be its "Turkey Tourism Year," along with India, which wants to open up its wedding tourism and Bollywood film industry to the Turkish market, as well as South Korea, which has strong historical ties with Turkey, will be developed. Turkey aims to attract 1 million tourists from China in 2018. In line with the 2023 vision, targets on an annual basis will include $50 billion in tourism revenue and 50 million tourists.
Alternative tourism to grow
The Culture and Tourism Ministry will take the necessary steps to expand the country's health, winter and highland tourism, which have an expansive market in Turkey in alternative tourism. Also, international health tourism units will be set up in order to allow tourists to benefit from the health tourism with an annual income of $20 billion in the first stage. Winter sports and ski facilities will also be developed in areas that are considered an important part of winter tourism. The ministry will also initiate work on the increase of promotional activities in the highlands, which are frequented by tourists from especially Gulf Arab countries.
A move will be made to bring the highlands back to their natural states, an issue President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said "cannot be our representation." Horizontal structures with two floors will be built in the highlands rather than vertical ones to avoid visual pollution. Highlands that have been moved away from their natural appearance, especially Ayder and Uzungöl, will become tourist attractions again with the transformation projects.