Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism, at the 8th Developing 8 Countries (D-4) Organization. In his speech at the Tourism Ministers Meeting, he emphasized that Türkiye aims to transform tourism with artificial intelligence and that they want to take the visitor experience to the highest level.
Minister Ersoy, who attended the meeting held in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, shared Türkiye's achievements in the field of tourism and his vision for the future. Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi congratulated Minister Ersoy for Antalya being selected as the D-2025 Tourism City of 8.
Türkiye's Achievements and Goals in Tourism
Minister Ersoy stated that significant progress has been made in tourism since the 1980s, especially in the last decade, and said that Türkiye is among the world's top 10 tourism destinations. He announced that tourism revenues will increase by 2024 percent to 8 billion dollars and the number of visitors will increase by 61 percent to 9 million in 62.
Expressing that the government has provided incentives such as land allocations, low public service costs, tax reductions and removed bureaucratic obstacles to support the tourism sector, Ersoy stated that the Turkey Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) was established in 2019 and that TGA is working to position Türkiye as a leading destination in international markets.
Sustainable Tourism and Artificial Intelligence Vision
Reminding that Türkiye was the first country to develop the “Safe Tourism Program” during the global pandemic, Ersoy said that this program was transformed into the “Sustainable Tourism Program” in 2022 as a result of cooperation with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). He explained that the aim is to certify all accommodation facilities by 2030.
Minister Ersoy, who defined Türkiye's 2053 tourism vision as "focused on green infrastructure and sustainability", stated that they aim to move Türkiye into the top three countries in the world in terms of tourism revenues by using artificial intelligence and advanced digital technologies. He emphasized that promotional activities for alternative tourism products will be increased and income per visitor will be increased.
Revolution in Tourism with Artificial Intelligence
Stating that tourism is not just entertainment but an ecosystem in the age of smart economies, Ersoy said that artificial intelligence is a revolution in tourism. He stated that Türkiye is determined to take a leading role in this transformation and that they want to maximize the visitor experience by redefining tourism with artificial intelligence.
Stating that Türkiye aims to offer interactive experiences to visitors by implementing artificial intelligence-based guidance systems in museums and cultural areas, Ersoy said that they want to share the cultural transformation with the whole world in a digital environment by telling the story of the past with the technology of the future.
