Alina Oprea • 21 November, 2023 at 10:25 AM
More than one million hotel beds in Turkey have been verified and received a sustainability certificate, according to figures published by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Turkey and presented at the "World Travel Markets" event. More than 7,500 hotels with a total of 1,044,189 beds have been verified and certified under Turkey's National Sustainable Tourism Program. The certification process is an integral part of the Turkey program which was developed in partnership with the Global Council for Sustainable Tourism. Turkey was also the first country in the world to sign a government-level agreement.
“Total visitor arrivals to Turkey from January to September 2023 totaled 45,230,069 – an increase of 12.4% compared to the same period in 2022. The UK is one of our key target markets. There were a reported 3,157,421 UK visitors to Turkey from January to September 2023, an increase of 12.1% on the same period in 2022. While we are very focused on growing our tourism industry, we are equally determined to preserve our country's resources for future generations. Here at WTM, together with local industry stakeholders, we present our unique tourism destinations and products. At the same time, we are happy to announce that our National Sustainable Tourism Program is on track to make rapid and effective progress towards its goals. More than 45 million people visited Turkey in the first nine months of 2023. With more than one million hotel beds in our largest tourism regions, verified and certified sustainably. We are happy to see that a substantial number of international visitors have chosen to stay in Turkish facilities or establishments," says Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism.
There were 61 participants of the Turkish industry at the Turkey booth at the WTM event, where the main destinations, products, and sub-brands such as "Turkish Riviera", "Turkaegean - or Coast of Happiness", "Istanbul is the New Cool", " Cappadocia – or the Land of Fairies”, “Turkish Black Sea” and “Naturally Turkiye”. The stand had 808 sqm.
The stand highlights the country's cycling routes, the National Sustainable Tourism Program, and 50 sustainable tourism experiences across the country. The stand will also highlight Turkey's rich history and cultural heritage and its sustainable culinary tourism offerings.
Turkey is one of the few countries in the world with a "must have" approach to sustainable tourism, with the certification of accommodation facilities required by law. At the same time, it considers the progress of the National Sustainable Tourism Program in the four largest tourist regions in Turkey. So far, 1,144 accommodation units have been checked and certified in Antalya, Istanbul (966), Mugla (639) and Izmir (488).