In her statements regarding World Tourism Day on September 27, Associate Professor Demet Genceli noted, "In 2023, Türkiye welcomed 56.7 million visitors and generated revenue of $54.3 billion, whereas the USA earned $175 billion from 66 million tourists. Countries that receive the most tourists, such as Spain, France, and Italy, also generate high revenues relative to the number of visitors. Hence, Türkiye lags in revenue generation. To increase tourism revenues, we must extend tourism throughout the year, move away from package tours, unify country promotions, and create an experience economy."
Associate Professor Demet Genceli, faculty member in the Department of Tourism Management at Yeditepe University, provided valuable suggestions for developing the tourism sector based on recent tourism statistics. She reminded that Türkiye welcomed 56.7 million visitors in 2023, earning $54.3 billion. Dr. Genceli shared the following data: "According to TÜİK and World Tourism Organization data, 40,295,979 people visited Türkiye in the first 8 months of 2024. The number of tourists increased by 23.6% compared to pre-pandemic levels and by 8.27% compared to last year. Türkiye's revenue for 2023 was $54.315 billion. This year, a record $23.7 billion was earned in the first six months, with a target of $60 billion. Looking globally, in 2023, France topped the list with 100 million tourists, followed by Spain with 85 million and Italy with 57 million. The USA generated $175 billion, Spain $92 billion, and France $68.6 billion, despite the USA having 66 million tourists. The UK had 37 million tourists visit but ranked third in revenue with $74 billion."
"Türkiye Lags Behind in Revenue"
Genceli emphasized that Türkiye needs to catch up in revenue generation compared to the number of visitors and stressed the importance of expanding tourism throughout the year. She said, "We need to diversify tourism beyond the summer season in areas like health, culture, and sports and create an 'experience economy.' We should promote more services and manage country promotions from a single source. We excel in services, but we need to proportionately increase the revenue we obtain from these services. We should avoid package tours and encourage tourists to spend time outside hotels. All municipalities must contribute wholeheartedly to extend tourism throughout the year in Türkiye and develop joint projects with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. We have the Cultural Route Festival activity, which we implemented in 16 cities across Türkiye, with plans to expand it to 20 cities. This will attract a significantly higher number of tourists."
Mandatory 'Sustainable Tourism Certification'’
Highlighting the importance of a certification program developed for sustainable tourism, Genceli stated, "There is a 'Sustainable Tourism' project by the Türkiye Promotion, Tourism and Development Agency. Under this program, all hotels in Türkiye were required to obtain a sustainable tourism certificate in 2023. This certificate is based on the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's criteria, which include 42 criteria. Türkiye has accepted these without exception in one go.".
Tourism Education Is Crucial
Noting that tourism education encourages sustainability practices, Genceli said that education would bring qualified labor and services to every stage of tourism, contributing to sustainable, innovative, and continuously evolving tourism. She noted the growing interest in tourism education in Türkiye and globally, stating that tourism departments in universities in Türkiye and the TRNC generally see near 100% enrollment rates. "Türkiye is a country with high tourism potential, so significant attention is given to the education of sector professionals," Genceli remarked, emphasizing the importance of updating curricula, practical training, academic proficiency, integration of technology, and increased awareness for advancing tourism education.