CHP Chairman Özgür Özel met with representatives of the tourism sector in Antalya. He attracted attention with his statements about Israel and his evaluations of the tourism sector.
Antalya, Turkey’s tourism capital, recently hosted an important political visit. Republican People’s Party (CHP) Chairman Özgür Özel met with representatives of the tourism sector in the city at a meeting held in a hotel. Özel stated that Israeli tourists can come to Turkey with peace of mind and said, “We are not the enemies of the Israeli people, but the fascist government of Israel.” He also emphasized that they had a productive meeting with sector representatives, touching on the importance of the tourism sector and its effects on politics.
ANTALYA (AA) – CHP Chairman Özgür Özel, Israeli tourists can come to Turkey with peace of mindstating, “ We are not the enemy of the Israeli people, we are the enemy of Israel’s fascist government, we are against them..” he said.
Continuing his visits to Antalya, Özel met with tourism sector representatives at a hotel in the city and held a meeting.
In his speech here, Özel said that they had an intensive program in the city and had a productive meeting with tourism sector representatives.
Stating that there was a high participation in the meeting they held before the end of the season, Özel continued as follows:
Özgür Özel: “Tourism cannot be considered separate from politics, but should be handled as a national issue”
“ We did not do politics here. Of course, tourism is the subject of politics, tourism should have a policy.But it must be stated that this is a national issue, it is an area that benefits everyone and does not harm anyone, and that it is very important to act in unity and solidarity on this issue. We need to be aware that all the statements we make and every word we speak with the government and the opposition has a direct impact on tourism. “In such matters, we must first avoid causing harm, and then try to contribute.”
Stating that there are 2,656 facilities in Antalya, 1672 of which are tourism facilities with simple certificates and 984 of which are operating certificates, Özel stated that it has a bed capacity of 560 thousand according to official figures, and that it will reach the level of 600 thousand beds with new investments in the near future.
– “Tourism is a sector that exports locally”
Stating that all stakeholders of the sector attended the meeting, Özel emphasized that tourism is an important sector that contributes by not polluting the air, water or sea, creating a current account deficit or even closing it, bringing foreign currency and exporting on-site, except in exceptional cases.
Özel stated that everyone should keep an eye on the tourism sector and stated that the mistakes in foreign policy, the downed plane, the Covid-19 epidemic and the earthquakes on February 6 affected the sector negatively.
Özel said that missiles were flying in the nearby geography and continued as follows:
Özgür Özel: “Every Missile and Cigarette Trace Harms Turkish Tourism”
“’The war might expand or something.’ These are things that are harmful to Turkey. We hope that diplomacy will yield results in this regard. We never want war. We want these problems to be solved as soon as possible. When missiles are thrown here and there, a lot of damage is done, but when cigarettes are thrown at parks, pools or roads, they cause as much damage as if a missile were fired at Turkey. That’s why everyone living in these cities must fulfill their responsibilities to the fullest. Every tourist lost causes us all to lose something out of our pocket. That’s why we would like to underline that both politicians and citizens should mobilize together.”
- Özel pointed out that tourism professionals bring 60 billion dollars of foreign currency to the country annually and stated that they attach great importance to the sector with its 2 million jobs.
- Stating that the minimum wage is too high for those who give it and too low for those who receive it, Özel said that structural problems in this regard must be solved.
- Stating that there are 36 treatment plants in Antalya, Özel emphasized that he supports the accommodation tax, but the tax should remain in that city.
- Özel stated that tourism in Antalya should be spread over 12 months, and health, sports and cultural tourism should be supported in addition to sea, sand and sun.
- Stating that tourists who come to Antalya by plane in 2 hours cannot go to their hotel in 4 hours, Özel stated that the Antalya-Alanya highway should be started as soon as possible and rail systems should be developed in cooperation with local municipalities.
- Underlining that tourism is a national issue, Özel said that the sector should be supported with low-interest, long-term loans.
A journalist asked “Can Israeli tourists come to Turkey with peace of mind?” Özel answered the question as follows:
“Israeli tourists can come with peace of mind, Türkiye supports the Palestinian cause and is a friend of Palestine. Türkiye is an enemy of Netanyahu, who defends Israel’s war policies, but it is never an enemy of the Israeli people. Antalya is the city where an Israeli and a Palestinian can come to us, stay and live together as brothers, and where they can both find friendship. The country is Turkey. We are not the enemy of the Israeli people, but the fascist government of Israel, we are against them. We welcome all Israeli tourists to Antalya.”