Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy: Turkey has moved from being a country whose tourism dynamics are directed by others to a country that directs tourism. Minister Ersoy: Türkiye’s contribution to tourism
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, “We aim to complete the work equivalent to what has been done regarding archeology in Turkey in 60 years in the next 4 years.”
In his speech at the opening of the Side Ancient City Welcome Center in Antalya’s Manavgat district, Ersoy said that they are working to bring new works to Antalya, one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
“Hopefully, WE WILL HAVE AN EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN 2024”
Stating that they are struggling to serve day and night in order for Antalya, which is in competition with the most important cities of the world, to take one step ahead in this competition and get a higher share from world tourism, Ersoy said, “As a result of the work we have already done, the numbers for our city are starting to show the reward of this effort.” It shows that we have started. As you know, we left behind a year full of records in tourism. Hopefully we will have an even more successful season in 2024.” he said.
Ersoy stated that they did not come to this point by chance, that they worked hard, and emphasized that Turkey is one of the countries that best understands the changing perception of tourism in the world and takes appropriate steps accordingly.
“WE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL STUDIES TO 720 ANNUALLY”
Stating that in the past, when tourism was mentioned in Turkey, it was understood that people came from other countries to have fun and relax, Ersoy stated that in this process, sufficient awareness could not be created for the historical and cultural riches as well as the natural beauties of the country.
Stating that, as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, they are working to make Turkey a tourism brand in the world by analyzing the new tourism concept in the most accurate way and developing the appropriate infrastructure, Ersoy said:
“Today, we create the most important content about our country in the world media. We promote Side and Antalya on the most followed channels in more than 200 countries around the world. In order to protect our natural resources, we act by considering not only the present but also the future. Different countries follow our strategies and policies closely to understand what we do and implement it in their own countries. In this way, Turkey has now become a country that directs tourism, rather than being a country whose tourism dynamics are directed by others. While achieving these successes, the steps we took to expand tourism to 12 months and strengthen qualified tourism were among our most important works. I constantly state that achieving this and spreading tourism over 12 months has a very strong relationship with cultural tourism. We aim to complete work equivalent to what has been done regarding archeology in Turkey in 60 years in the next 4 years. “We increased the number of archaeological studies to 720 annually within the scope of our “Golden Age of Turkish Archeology History – Heritage to the Future” Project, which centers on Antalya.”
Pointing out that Turkey is one of the countries that carry out the most archaeological work in the world, Ersoy said, “Turkish archeology has now become one of the most important stakeholders of world archeology, both with its excavations and conservation work in the excavations. We allocated 5.5 billion lira for excavations, restoration and landscaping for our archaeological sites in Antalya until the end of 2028. “We have started working on the reconstruction of the Antalya Archaeological Museum, which has one of the most important collections in the world.” he said.
“WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN ANTALYA AND IN OUR REGION”
Minister Ersoy stated that they continue to work day and night to ensure that both Antalya and the people of Antalya win by protecting Antalya’s underground and above ground, historical and cultural heritage, sea, water, gastronomy, agriculture and animal husbandry.
Explaining that the Side Ancient City Visitor Welcoming Center consists of a closed area of 785 square meters, viewing terraces, a parking area, walking paths, a lighting system for night museums and a landscaping area of 17 thousand square meters, Ersoy noted that the center cost 125 million lira. Minister Ersoy: Türkiye’s contribution to tourism
Ersoy stated that they are working to create a cultural heritage corridor in Antalya in connection with tourism and continued his words as follows:
“We have accelerated comprehensive works in all our archaeological sites from Gazipaşa to Kaş. As we unearth history and culture, interest in our country and city increases day by day. We still have a lot of work to do in Antalya and our region. We don’t have time to waste on issues that don’t benefit our city. In order to realize these dreams, we need unity that will focus on the same goals and work on projects that will add value to Antalya. “We will continue to discover and unearth these treasures in our city, which has a different beauty at every point.”
