Hospitality

History

Turkey has a historical heritage of successive civilizations from Assyrians, Hittites, Phoenicians, Phrygians, Lycians, Lydians, Ionians, Romans, Byzantines to the Seljuks and Ottomans. There history of human kind has continuously added on itself, from the earliest settlements, to the contemporary Turkey today.

Geography

Turkey is geographically, politically and officially part of two continents Europe and Asia. The smaller northwestern portion is part of Europe, while the larger portion is part of Asia. Turkey is bordered to the north by the Black Sea, to the west by the Sea of Marmara and Aegean and to the south by the Mediterranean. Due to its position and the fact that Turkey is at the meeting point of three different climatic zones, it is home to a tremendous variety of landscapes and plants so being a paradise for travelers and naturalists. There are dense forests in the northern Black Sea and the southern Mediterranean regions, coastal plains on the western Aegean; mountain pastures inland, deserts to the southeast and lakes throughout the country. You will find the beaches of Turkey to be some of the most beautiful in the world. It is along these long shores where you there are so many great beaches to choose from.

Turkish Ministry of Tourism

The Ministry of Tourism, is the nodal agency for the formulation of national policies and programs and for the co-ordination of activities of various Central Government Agencies, State Governments/UTs and the Private Sector for the development and promotion of tourism in the country. This Ministry is headed by the Union Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge). It plays a crucial role in coordinating and supplementing the efforts of the State/Union Territory Governments, catalyzing private investment, strengthening promotional and marketing efforts and in providing trained manpower resources. The functions of the Ministry in this regard mainly consist of the following:

Here are some essential facts and figures about the Turkish tourism sector:

o  In 2016, Turkey was the 10th most popular tourist destination in the world according to UNWTO.

o  According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of foreign travelers arriving in Turkey in 2017 was 38.6 million, while total turnover of the tourism industry that same year was USD 26 billion.

o  Growth in the Turkish tourism industry has been above the global average in recent years, and the direct contribution of the industry to the current account deficit in 2017 was 36 percent.

o  Antalya is the most preferred city in Turkey based on the number of incoming foreign visitors. Visited by 25 percent of the foreign tourists in 2017, Antalya has over 500 4-star and 5-star hotels in its center and surrounding towns such as Kemer, Belek, and Kaş.

o  Turkey has 7,200 km of coastline and ranks 2nd among 38 countries with its 454 blue-flag beaches; only Spain has more blue-flag beaches than Turkey with 579. There are also 22 blue-flag marinas in Turkey.

o  Based on 2017 tourism figures, Forbes Travel has ranked the world’s top 10 most-visited cities, with Istanbul coming in at 6th place.

o  There are currently 281 projects in the pipeline that would add 74,130 much-needed beds to Turkey’s short supply.

o  The tourism sector has set annual targets of 50 million tourist arrivals and revenues of USD 50 billion by 2023.