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"The numbers of visitors arriving in Turkey has increased quite substantially in recent months. The figure of 6,000,000 visitors recorded in the first four months of this year is a 21% increase on the same period last year.
When the figures are broken down for individual cities they become even more remarkable; visitors to Antalya increased by 33% and visitors to Izmir by a whopping 55%.
Turkey has implemented a number of policies and made substantial infrastructural investments in the last few years, and it looks as if this is really paying off. The country is currently ranked seventh in the world according to the numbers of tourists, and eighth according to the value of tourism revenue. There is the potential that these rises are as a direct result of unrest in the Middle East, and therefore potentially reversible.
While some say this is unlikely given that most holidays are booked well in advance, industry expert, Cem Polatoglu, says that Turkey should ensure visitors continue to receive exemplary service to ensure they return. He feels that professional training for workers in the tourism industry is essential, and that certification should be mandatory.
He is critical of the high numbers of state owned holiday resorts which are essentially taxpayer funded, as he feels they should be privatised. Polatoglu also points out that large numbers of tourists choose to go to casinos while on holiday and that these establishments could attract large numbers of visitors, even if Turkish citizens were banned.
However, Culture and Tourism Ministry Promotion General Manager, Cumhur Guven Tasbasi, doesn't agree, and thinks that Turkey should concentrate on being a major destination for faith tourism.
In all honesty, Turkish tourism is growing quite fine without casinos, and while Casino's would likely bring a small boost, it is unlikely that they are necessary for Turkish tourism to reach its full potential.
