Arab Tourists Show More Interest in Turkey

The fact that the view of the western countries on the east has greatly changed since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the interest of Arab tourists started growing in Turkey. Tourism professionals ask the Culture and Tourism Ministry to take advantage of this chance and make investments to draw them to Turkey.

Attracted by sun, shopping and the image of Turkey they cull from soap operas, Arab tourists have been flocking to Turkey in ever-greater numbers. Tourism professionals argue, however, that for this trend to continue the government needs to do more to attract Arab travelers and facilitate their path in getting here.

While Turkish Hotels Federation, or TUROFED, Chairman Ahmet Barut argued there were an insufficient number of flights, the Tourism Writers and Journalists Association, or TUYED, Chairman Kerem Kofteoglu argued there should be better preparation for next year’s tourism season.

Nearly 918,000 Arab tourists came to Turkey last year. This number was 752,000 in 2006 and 753,000 in 2005, according to information provided by the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The number of Arab tourists who chose Turkey between January and July was 630,000 this year. This year’s total is already expected to be higher. Arab tourists tend to prefer Istanbul, Bursa and Konya. But even the number who came to Antalya this year increased compared to previous years, said Barut.

The Culture and Tourism Ministry is preparing advertisements with pictures of Turkey. As well, print media and open-air ads, visuals for Arab tourists are being prepared to be shown in movie theaters. Turkey’s culture, faith, sea and sun tourism are highlighted in the ads.