Over the past two decades, Türkiye has witnessed a remarkable transformation across various sectors, including education, health care, transportation, infrastructure, defense and tourism. Through massive investments in all areas, the obstacles preventing Türkiye from standing out as a strong nation in its region and on the global stage have been systematically removed. Tourism has become a significant driving force within this transformation. Particularly after 2018, the integration of culture and tourism, combined with leveraging the country’s vast resources to enhance tourism capacity, has established a sustainable dynamism that continues to grow. Today, tourism ranks among the leading export sectors of the country.

The recent success achieved in tourism is not a coincidence. On the contrary, it is the outcome of a series of strategic measures ranging from promotion campaigns to improving the quality of tourism destinations, from developing cultural tourism to advancing gastronomy tourism. As a result of these strategic initiatives, Türkiye’s tourism revenues have reached a stage of resilience and sustainability, even in the face of crises. In this article, I will briefly highlight these strategic steps and explore the background of this success story.

Comprehensive promotion

Within this framework, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism took its first major step by establishing the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA). Through TGA, an extensive and impactful promotional campaign was launched. Under its umbrella, the government and sector stakeholders joined forces to showcase Türkiye’s tourism potential across more than 200 countries. At the same time, efforts were focused on creating diversity in target markets.

Every destination served by Turkish Airlines (THY) was designated as a potential target market. Through a combination of TGA’s marketing activities, collaborations with both traditional and online tour operators and joint advertising campaigns carried out alongside THY and other airlines to ensure supply security, the number and variety of high-demand markets expanded significantly.

These efforts began yielding results in a short time. In 2017, Türkiye welcomed 37,969,824 visitors, but just one year later, in 2018, this figure surged by nearly 9 million, reaching 46,112,592. As more strategic initiatives were implemented in subsequent years, this upward trend continued, culminating in a record in 2024, when the number of visitors reached an impressive 62,269,890.

Increasing diversity in supply

Of course, these significant increases could not have been achieved solely through effective and comprehensive promotion. In this context, one of the most important transformations has been the diversification of tourism supply. Until 2018, Türkiye’s tourism products were mainly limited to sea, sand and sun, but since then, the portfolio has expanded to include more than 60 different offerings such as gastronomy, nature tourism, cruises, cycling, sports, faith-based routes, adventure tourism, blue voyages, archaeology, cultural tours, health tourism, train journeys and festivals. With such a rich and diversified portfolio, the duration of tourism activity also expanded. As a result, the tourism season has now extended to 12 months and is spreading across all 81 provinces of the country.

For example, although the motivation to experience new flavors holds an important place in tourism activities and Turkish cuisine already enjoys an internationally recognized and highly acclaimed gastronomic tradition, this potential had not been fully utilized until recently. With the recent strategic shift, gastronomy has been brought to the forefront in promotional campaigns and has now secured its position as a strong alternative for Türkiye in the tourism sector. To reach this point, steps were taken to establish a “gastrocity” identity for Türkiye’s major tourism destinations. These efforts quickly began to bear fruit. First, Istanbul was included in the world’s most prestigious selection in its field, the Michelin Guide, followed by Izmir, Bodrum, and Muğla. Most recently, Cappadocia also earned its place on the list.

Hybrid structure

Naturally, it is impossible to evaluate the dynamism achieved in the field of tourism separately from the significant steps taken in the field of culture. Considering the vastness of the country’s cultural heritage, the value this potential holds for tourism becomes even more profound. In fact, one of the most important factors contributing to the recent expansion of tourism’s scope has been the effective utilization of cultural potential within this context.

As I mentioned in my previous article titled “Reviving Türkiye’s cultural heritage and ‘Legacy for Future Project,’” particularly over the past seven years, significant achievements have been made in the field of culture. From reopening the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque for worship to inaugurating the Atatürk Cultural Center, from putting the Rami Library into service to restoring landmarks such as the Galata Tower, Maiden’s Tower, Sümela Monastery, Bodrum Castle and Istanbul Archaeological Museum, an extensive revival of the country’s cultural heritage has been carried out. During this period, the restorations of numerous complexes, mosques and madrasas were also completed, including Istanbul’s Fatih Sümbül Efendi Complex, Molla Fenari Mosque, Amasya Beyazid Complex, Sivas Gök Medrese, Trabzon Hagia Sophia Mosque, Nevşehir Damat Ibrahim Pasha Mosque and Kırşehir Cacabey Madrasa. The same level of dedication was shown toward the repatriation of artifacts smuggled abroad. For instance, over the past 20 years, a total of 13,200 artifacts have been brought back to our country, with 9,000 of these recovered after 2018. Consequently, the capacity and diversity of our museums have been enhanced, thereby strengthening their potential to become major attractions for visitors.

On the other hand, in 2021, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched another new project that blends the country’s cultural richness with art events to offer a unique experience: the Türkiye Culture Route Festival. In 2024 alone, over 40,000 artists participated in more than 6,000 events organized as part of the festival, attracting a total of 33 million visitors. While the initial implementation in 2021 lasted for approximately 100 days, by 2025, the festival had expanded to eight months, covering around 240 days. This year, approximately 45,000 artists are expected to participate in nearly 7,000 events. In addition, the participation of numerous international artists and guests has contributed to the festival’s growing global recognition. Despite being only a four-year-old project, the Türkiye Culture Route Festival has already established itself as an international brand. Each year, both the number of participating cities and the total number of events continue to increase, making the festival an attractive option for global culture and art enthusiasts seeking to visit our country.

In addition, in 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism launched another major initiative: the Legacy for the Future Project. Through this project, archaeological excavation efforts related to the cultural heritage have moved beyond conventional approaches. As stated by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the amount of work that would normally take 60 years to complete in the field of archaeology in Türkiye will be accomplished within just four years. The first step of the Legacy for the Future Project was taken in 2023 with the inclusion of the Ancient City of Ephesus. By 2025, a total of 251 excavation sites will have been integrated into the project. Officially introduced on Aug. 6, 2025, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, this project is expected to significantly enhance the country’s tourism potential in the years to come.

The Legacy for the Future Project has also led to a new initiative regarding museum accessibility: nighttime museum visits. As part of the project, which focuses on revitalizing cities within the context of their cultural heritage, visitors have been given the opportunity to experience museums and historical sites at night. Through enhanced lighting, access to these sites after dark has been made possible. It quickly became evident how this new initiative fulfilled a significant gap. For example, in 2024, approximately 400,000 visitors were welcomed under this program at major destinations, including Ephesus, Hierapolis, Olympos, Patara, Side, and Cappadocia. In short, the momentum achieved in the tourism sector in recent years is not only the result of expanding the capacity and quality of tourism destinations but also the product of creating a hybrid structure by increasing the integration between cultural and tourism-related spaces.

In summary, with the implementation of the right strategies that complement and reinforce one another, Türkiye’s tourism sector has grown stronger and become far more resilient to crises in recent years. Under this new approach, efforts are being made to create a tourism supply model that covers all 81 provinces, operates year-round and, most importantly, encompasses the entire wealth of the country’s offerings – from gastronomy to cultural tourism. The success of this strategic approach became evident in a short period of time. The number of visitors, which stood at 37,969,824 in 2017, rose to 62,269,890 in 2024. Despite wars and turbulence in our region and across the globe, the figure reached 26,388,831 in just the first six months of 2025. In conclusion, I would like to extend my congratulations to Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and his dedicated team for these remarkable achievements.