Tourism in Turkey

Destinations

Istanbul

Istanbul is one of the most important tourist spots not only in Turkey but also in the world. There are thousands of hotels and other tourist-oriented industries in the city. Turkey's largest city, Istanbul has a number of major attractions derived from its historical status as the capital of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires. These include the Sultan Ahmed Mosque (the "Blue Mosque"), the Hagia Sophia, the Topkapı Palace, the Basilica Cistern, the Dolmabahçe Palace, the Galata Tower, the Grand Bazaar, the Spice Bazaar, and the Pera Palace Hotel. Istanbul has also recently become one of the biggest shopping centers of the European region by hosting malls and shopping centers, such as MetroCity, Akmerkez and Cevahir Mall, which is the biggest mall in Europe and seventh largest shopping center in the world. Other attractions include sporting events, museums, and cultural events.

In January 2013, the Turkish government announced that it would build the world's largest airport in Istanbul. The operation has an invested 7-billion euros and was planned to have the first part of a four-part plan completed by 2017.

Ankara

Ankara is the country's capital and second most populated city. It is rich with Turkish history and culture that have roots in the founding of Turkey along with the history of ancient civilizations. The most popular landmark is the Anıtkabir, a mausoleum for Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey. Another landmark would be the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations, a museum that possesses works from Paleolithic, Neolithic, Hatti, Hittite, Phrygian, Urartian, and Roman civilizations.

Izmir

Izmir is a city with historical and geopolitical importance in ancient civilizations such as Macedonia, Persia, Lydia, and the Ottomans. The city has a memorable history in the early years of Turkey as it was the main city that was affected by the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922). Izmir is home to many ancient cities such as Ephesus, Pergamon, and Klazomenai. Besides historical significance, Izmir also possesses many locations for coastal tourism for international travelers. Frequently visited regions that have tourist beaches for local and international tourists would be Çeşme, Mordoğan, and Foça.

Other destinations

Beach vacations and Blue Cruises, particularly for Turkish delights and visitors from Western Europe, are also central to the Turkish tourism industry. Most beach resorts are located along the southwestern and southern coast, called the Turkish Riviera, especially along the Mediterranean coast near Antalya. Antalya is also accepted as the tourism capital of Turkey. Major resort towns include Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris, Kuşadası, Didim and Alanya. Also, Turkey has been chosen second in the world in 2015 with its 436 blue-flagged beaches, according to the Chamber of Shipping.

Attractions elsewhere in the country include the sites of Ephesus, Troy, Pergamon, House of the Virgin Mary, Pamukkale, Hierapolis, Trabzon (where one of the oldest monasteries is the Sümela Monastery), Konya (where the poet Rumi had spent most of his life), Didyma, Church of Antioch, ancient Pontic capital and king rock tombs with its acropolis in Amasya, religious places in Mardin (such as Deyrülzafarân Monastery), and the ruined cities and landscapes of Cappadocia.

One of the most important and famous cities in the east and southeast of Turkey is called Diyarbakır. This city is considered one of the important options for traveling to the east of Turkey due to its numerous historical, religious and cultural places. For researchers who are interested in cultural studies, this city is a favorable option for study and research due to the accommodation of different ethnic groups (Kurds, Turks, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians) and religious groups (Muslims, Christians). Due to the civil wars between the PKK group and the central government of Turkey in the 90's, the number of tourists in this region decreased. With the beginning of the 21st century and after the establishment of relative peace and security in these areas, tourism has been increasing again in these areas.

Gallipoli and Anzac Cove – a small cove on the Gallipoli peninsula, which became known as the site of World War I landing of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) on 25 April 1915. Following the landing at Anzac Cove, the beach became the main base for the Australian and New Zealand troops for the eight months of the Gallipoli campaign.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Main article: List of World Heritage Sites in Turkey

As of 2023, Turkey hosts 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 19 cultural and 2 mixed.

Turkey's World Heritage Sites, as per their official UNESCO names, are as follows:

1. Aphrodisias
2. Archaeological Site of Ani
3. Archaeological Site of Troy
4. Arslantepe Mound
5. Bursa and Cumalıkızık: the Birth of the Ottoman Empire
6. City of Safranbolu
7. Diyarbakır Fortress and Hevsel Gardens Cultural Landscape
8. Ephesus
9. Gordion
10. Göbekli Tepe
11. Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia
12. Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği
13. Hattusha: the Hittite Capital
14. Hierapolis-Pamukkale
15. Historic Areas of Istanbul
16. Nemrut Dağ
17. Neolithic Site of Çatalhöyük
18. Pergamon and its Multi-Layered Cultural Landscape
19. Selimiye Mosque and its Social Complex
20. Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia
21. Xanthos-Letoon

Medical tourism

Main article: Health care in Turkey

An emerging branch of tourism in Turkey is medical tourism. Commonly performed medical procedures are hair transplant operations, rhinoplasty, cosmetic dentistry, bariatric surgery, buttock augmentation, mammaplasty and mastopexy as it draws in thousands of foreigner tourists every year. In 2021, the revenue generated from medical tourism was given as $1.05 billion with 642,000 people that visited for the purpose of getting medical service. This is due to Turkey offering high-quality clinics for affordable pricing compared to the rest of Europe and its central location between Asia and Europe. Other reasons for the high demand for healthcare in Turkey are foreigners having easy visa procedures and immediate scheduling for operations.

Development of tourism

Turkey issued 16,199,968 electronic visas between April 2013 and January 1, 2017. The acceptance rate was 87.79% as 18,452,733 applications were filed in this period. Most visas were issued to nationals of the United Kingdom (4.6 million), Iraq (2 million) and the Netherlands (1.8 million).

Most tourist arrivals in Turkey come from the following countries:

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Explain

Foreign tourist arrivals increased substantially in Turkey between 2000 and 2005, from 8 million to 25 million, which made Turkey a top-10 destination in the world for foreign visitors. 2005 revenues were billion which also made Turkey one of the top-10 biggest revenue owners in the world. In 2011, Turkey ranked as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world and 4th in Europe, according to UNWTO World Tourism barometer. See World Tourism rankings. At its height in 2014, Turkey attracted around 42 million foreign tourists, still ranking as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. From 2015, tourism to Turkey entered a steep decline. In 2016, only around 30 million people visited Turkey. 2016 is described as the second year of huge losses on both visitor numbers and income, a "year of devastating losses", with Turkish tourism businesses stating that they "cannot remember a worse time in the sector".

In early 2017, the Turkish government urged Turkish citizens living abroad to take their vacations in Turkey, attempting to revive the struggling tourism sector of an economy that went into contraction from late 2016. After the April 2017 constitutional referendum, another sharp drop in tourist bookings from Germany was recorded. In 2018, however, the German Tourism Industry Association recorded a growth in German tourist bookings for Turkey, with a 70% increase being recorded by the TUI Group alone.

Gallery

File:Uzungöl lake and town.jpg|Uzungöl lake and town in Black Sea region File:Mount Nemrut (3).JPG|Statues of Mount Nemrut in Eastern Turkey File:Turkey-3019 - Hagia Sophia (2216460729).jpg|Hagia Sophia in Istanbul attracts around 3 million tourists each year. File:Ephesus Celsus Library Façade.jpg|Library of Celsus in Ephesus File:Sumela From Across Valley.JPG|Sumela Monastery in Trabzon File:Termessos Ancient City Theatre.jpg|Mount Güllük-Termessos National Park in Antalya File:48710 Bozburun-Marmaris-Muğla, Turkey - panoramio (8).jpg|Marmaris in Turkey is a popular summer tourism destination. File:Bay - panoramio (7).jpg|Beydağları Coastal National Park in Antalya, Turkey File:Temple of Hadrian Ephesus.JPG|Temple of Hadrian in Ephesus File:Amasya-city.jpg|Amasya File:Şanlıurfa, Şanlıurfa Merkez-Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey - panoramio (6).jpg|Balıklıgöl (pool of Abraham) in Şanlıurfa File:MidasSehri.Tomb.jpg|Midas monument, Eskişehir File:Frig vadisi.jpg|Phrygia, Afyonkarahisar File:Amasra (9310207038).jpg|Amasra, Bartın File:Kaunos dalyan felsengraeber.jpg|Kaunos Rock Tomb in Dalyan, Muğla File:Antalya kaleiçi 2.jpg|Kaleiçi, Antalya File:Seldschuken-Werft (Alanya 2013-10) - panoramio.jpg|Dockyard from Seljuk era in Alanya File:Maiden's Tower on the Bosphorus.jpg|Maiden's Tower in Istanbul File:Theatre of Hierapolis 1.jpg|Theatre of Hierapolis in Denizli File:Molavi1.JPG|Tomb of Rumi (Mevlana Museum) in Konya File:Çamlıhemşin Pokut Plateau.jpg|Pokut plateau, Rize File:Şirince - panoramio (1).jpg|Şirince is an old neighbourhood in Selçuk, İzmir File:Selimiye Camii - panoramio.jpg|Selimiye Ottoman imperial mosque built by the imperial architect Mimar Sinan in Edirne File:SaldaLake5.jpg|Lake Salda in Burdur File:Sagalassos Antonine Fountain in 2012 2684.jpg|Sagalassos ancient city in Burdur File:Ishak Pasha Palace.jpg|Ishak Pasha Palace in the Doğubeyazıt district of Ağrı File:Bodrum - 46216642894.jpg|Bodrum, Muğla File:Interior view of Sultan Ahmed Mosque Dome, Istanbul, Turkey (Ank Kumar) 01.jpg|Interior of Blue Mosque, Istanbul File:Aspendos Theater (11).JPG|Roman Theatre of Aspendos in Antalya File:Mardin, Turkey.JPG|Mardin File:Lycian city of the dead carved into the hillside of Myra in Southern Turkey, complete with startlingly human touches.jpg|Myra Rock Tombs in Lycia, Antalya File:Yeşil türbe bursa - panoramio.jpg|Green Tomb, Bursa File:Akdamar adasında bahar.jpg|Akdamar Island in Lake Van File:Temple Apollo Side Boat.jpg|Temple of Apollo, Side File:Divrigi Mosque north portal DSCF3149.jpg|Divriği Great Mosque in Sivas File:Manavgat Waterfall (1) Red.jpg|Manavgat Waterfall File:Patara Beach (6877323346).jpg|Patara beach on Turkish Riviera

Government policy and regulation

The AKP government has been promoting "halal tourism" for years, politically reaffirming this stance over the course of 2016. In March 2017, a Turkish court banned global travel fare aggregator website Booking.com from offering services to Turkish tourists for lack of a national licence, while the Hoteliers Association of Turkey campaigns for a lifting the ban of the enterprise on which its members relied for up to 90 percent of their turnover. In April 2017, the police department of the prime resort city of Antalya issued a directive banning the consumption of alcohol outside of buildings.

Sex tourism

Main article: Prostitution in Turkey

Prostitution is legal and regulated in Turkey. The secularization of Turkish society allowed prostitution to achieve legal status during the early 20th century. Sex tourism has been part of Turkey's tourism industry and has been growing over the decades both for foreigners and locals. Many foreigners come to Turkey to work for local Turks in the prostitution business, while many Turks travel abroad as consumers of sex tourism, mostly to Eastern Europe for the purpose. Sexual exploitation of children have also been reported. Anyone who encourages someone to commit prostitution, facilitates it, or mediates or provides a place for prostitution is punished with imprisonment from two months to four years and a judicial fine of up to three thousand days.

COVID-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of tourists arriving in Turkey declined to around 16 million in 2020. This was the lowest number of tourists in the last decade. The revenue from international travel was reduced to $13.7 billion which only made up 1.91% of the total economy in 2020. In 2021, Turkey's tourism recovered from the pandemic as it contributed $59.3 billion to the GDP, which made up 7.3% of the total economy.

References

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