Koc: Number Of Tourists From Gulf Countries Will Increase Significantly This Year

ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Atilla Koc said on Friday that he expected a significant increase in the number of tourists and tourism revenues this year.
     Koc, who attended the ''Arabian Travel Market 2005'' tourism fair in Dubai, returned to Turkey.
     Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, Koc said that tourists who would come from Gulf countries to Turkey could complete their visa proceedings at the airports or border gates between May 1st-October 31st, 2005.
     ''We have many ways to draw Arab tourists to Turkey. Gulf countries spend approximately 20 billion USD to tourism, and we expect an increase of 100 percent in the number of tourists coming from Gulf countries this year,'' said Koc.
     Koc added that Turkish health sector could also be an important center of appeal for the Gulf countries and the Arab world.

2005-05-06