AMSTERDAM - Turkish Culture & Tourism Minister Atilla Koc said that ''Turkey's progress in tourism will go on'' during a meeting with Turkish tour operators in the Netherlands on Sunday.
''We attach importance to promotion of Turkey. We will encourage promotional activities in the future,'' said Koc.
He said, ''the number of Swiss and Dutch tourists visiting Turkey dropped this year. The reasons cannot only be related to bird flu or cartoon crisis. The sector has its own inner problems. A reconstruction in Turkey's tourist facilities (except Antalya region) is a must.''
''We will start a campaign through foreigners who are living in Turkey. They will explain their thoughts about Turkey to their citizens objectively,'' he noted.
Koc also said, ''we will decrease excise tax in tourism area.''
Koc departed from Amsterdam (for Turkey) after concluding his meeting with tour operators.