Jill Morris is the British Ambassador to Türkiye and based on her current analysis of the stats she firmly believes that British Tourists could be into their record numbers this year, easily surpassing last year’s figures of 3m, and pre-pandemic levels of 2.5 million.
Currently on a tour of the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, taking in the likes of Izmir, Aydin, Mugla, Antalya, Bodrum, Marmaris and Fethiye – Jill will be meeting with key figures and stakeholders from across the political and tourism sectors, in order to not only thank them for their excellent support of British holiday makers in the respective areas, but also to discuss further co-operation between the two countries, especially when it comes to cleaner energy, agriculture technologies, aviation and mining. Mrs Morris made a particular reference to Izmir, which is quickly becoming a major hub for onshore wind power, and she believes that ‘there is a major opportunity to build Türkiye’s first offshore wind power facility and make Türkiye a regional center in offshore wind energy supply chains.’
Highlighting the love that the British have for Turkey, due to its considerably warmer weather, gorgeous beaches and vibrant culture, plus of course the fascinating history, it’s clear that tourist figures have been rising rapidly since 2018 with more than 4m expected by the end of 2023. Jill Morris recently commented that ‘2018 saw approx. 2.3m tourists visit Türkiye with 2.5m visiting in 2019. Global tourism plunged during the pandemic, but the numbers surged again last year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels – we hope this upward trend will continue’.
Investment in promoting Türkiye as a tourist hotspot has increased considerably over the years, and you’ll probably have seen the ‘Go To Türkiye’ ads yourselves on Television and Social Media.
Discussions are in place as to how the Tourism Ministry can further promote the different parts of Türkiye to a wider UK audience.
Image credit to: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com
