ISTANBUL (AA) - World Tourism Organization (WTO) Secretary General Francesco Frangialli indicated that, in the first four months of 2005, there has been an increase of 25 percent in the number of tourists visiting Turkey compared to the same period of last year. ''This is a remarkable development. This increase has been the greatest in the world,'' told Frangialli.
A forum on ''City Tourism Management'' organized by the WTO and hosted by the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism at the Hilton Convention Center in Istanbul began today (Wednesday).
Frangialli has remarked that Istanbul, as a home to various civilizations, is one of the most special cities of the world. ''Istanbul is not only a bridge between cultures and civilizations but also between Europe and Asia. Istanbul is a prominent city in terms of culture, arts and tourism in Europe,'' said Frangialli.
Frangialli noted that, among the spots of tourism in the Mediterranean, Turkey ranks as fourth after France, Italy and Spain. ''If trends continue, Turkey will be among most popular top ten touristic spots in the world in the next two years. Turkey has many attractions and the diversity in Turkish tourism will make future success possible,'' commented Frangialli.
According to Frangialli, the Turkish tourism experienced some 'road accidents' due to political reasons. ''Gone are those difficult days. Confidence in Turkish tourism is on the rise,'' noted Frangialli.
Turkish Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Culture & Tourism Ali Alp has remarked that in the past 25 years the number of tourists visiting Turkey has increased to 17.5 million annually, from a low of 1.2 million tourists. ''Turkey's tourism revenues in 1980 was 400 million USD. In 2004, Turkey's revenues in tourism rose to 16 billion USD. As a country rich in natural beauties and cultural sites, Turkey attracts millions,'' stated Alp. ''City tourism can be successful with the cooperation of public and private enterprises. Local administrations have a prominent role to play in city tourism,'' commented Alp.
Meanwhile, Istanbul Mayor Kadir Topbas stressed that his office has started working on renovations of historical sites. ''Istanbul has colorful and different touristic sites. We are working on making more spots available for sea tourism. 138 kilometers of coastline is now ready for swimmers. In a short period of time, residents of Istanbul will be able to make use of sea water in their daily lives and swim in all regions,'' expressed Topbas.
Topbas said that tourism, aside from providing economic revenues, also contributes to global peace.
The WTO forum will continue for three days in Istanbul.
(SOL-ULG)
2005-06-01