GAZIANTEP - Southeast Anatolian Promotion Project developed by Gaziantep Chamber of Trade (GTO) within the scope of GAP Region Cultural Heritage and Development Program was introduced in a meeting in Gaziantep on Tuesday.
Turkish Culture & Tourism Ministry Undersecretary Mustafa Isen has indicated that Turkey achieved important successes in the tourism sector in recent years, stating that the sector grew by nearly 50 percent in 2004 and 2005.
Noting that according to the estimations by World Tourism Organization, Turkey had been expected to host 17 million tourists in 2004, Isen underlined, ''but the country hosted 17.5 million tourists in the mentioned year. Also it hosted 21 million tourists in 2005.''
Isen stressed, ''we aim to attract 500,000 Turkish and foreign tourists to the region when Southeast Anatolian Promotion Project is completed.''
GTO Executive Board Deputy Chairman Hanefi Yilmaz noted, ''the project has a budget worth 505,000 euros. It covers Gaziantep, Adiyaman, Batman, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Mardin, Siirt, Sanliurfa and Sirnak.''