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Balon udara terlihat di Cappadocia, Nevsehir, Türki pada 5 Mei 2024.  (Photo by: ANTARA/Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya).

VOINews, Jakarta: After experiencing a successful year in 2023, Turkey is ambitious to become one of the top three tourist destinations in the world by 2028.

As reported by Antara, The Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, stated that "Turkey aims to attract 80 million international tourists per year over the next four years. Currently, Turkey ranks fourth,".

This ambitious plan is crucial for Turkey's economy, which heavily relies on tourism revenue. Every year, millions of international tourists provide significant income for the country amid challenging economic conditions.

Kaan Sahinalp, Turkey's representative for the German travel company TUI, stated that "although this target is achievable, there is still much work to be done." According to him, Turkey needs to diversify its tourism promotions by showcasing its cultural and gastronomic richness in addition to beach tourism.

Stakeholders from both the government and private sectors in Turkey must collaborate to achieve the 2028 tourism target. Kaan Sahinalp emphasized the importance of improving pricing policies due to intense competition in the Mediterranean. Sustainability is also crucial, and Murat Toktas from the Turkish Federation of Hotel Owners suggested focusing on the luxury travel industry to boost revenue.

In 2023, Turkey's tourism sector recorded a milestone of 49.2 million international tourist visits, generating over 54 billion USD. The government expects this year's visits to reach 60 million with revenue of 60 billion USD, and targets 80 million visits and 100 billion USD in revenue by 2028.

However, significant price increases at Turkish resorts have attracted negative attention. Sahinalp warned that excessive price hikes could harm the tourism sector. Toktas added that attracting wealthy tourists to destinations such as Antalya and Bodrum, as well as diversifying markets to Southeast Asia, is essential for ensuring sustainable growth.

Toktas is optimistic that if conditions remain stable, Turkey is on the right track to achieve its goal of becoming one of the top three tourist destinations in the world by 2028.//Antara/VOI