Turkey aims to diversify tourism market

ISTANBUL

Turkey wants to diversify its tourism market to reach $50 billion in annual income by 2023, the country’s culture and tourism minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, Numan Kurtulmus said Turkey wanted to expand its tourism offerings to appeal to more Chinese, Indian and Japanese tourists and not only focus on certain countries like Germany and Russia.

Turkey is traditionally a popular travel destination for German and Russian holidaymakers.

Kurtulmus also said Turkey wanted to expand its range of tourism offers to include winter tourism, as well as more environmental, ecological experiences.

In his speech, Kurtulmus also rejected claims Turkey was not secure, saying: “However much Berlin is secure, Istanbul is that much secure.

"However much Vienna, London or New York are secure, Izmir and Antalya are that much secure."

"Terrorism is a global problem threatening all the cities of the world," he added.

Reporting by Ali Kemal Akan; Writing by Nilay Kar