Turkey 'should diversify tourist trade'
A leading official in the Turkish tourism industry has called on the nation to diversify its range of services.
Ismet Yilmaz, undersecretary of the tourism and culture ministry, stated that offering a wider variety of leisure attractions would enable the country to attract more visitors.
Speaking to Today's Zaman, he said Turkey could potentially attract 50 million foreign visitors a year if it did diversify into other areas.
This, he continued, would be reflected by increases in the overall revenues generated by the sector.
Mr Ilmaz commented: "For this to happen, the weight of sun, sea and sand tourism should shrink in the total tourism revenue figures, while the share of other types of tourism increases."
As well as boosting the economy, his proposal could also potentially boost the appeal of Turkey among overseas property buyers.
Growth in the tourist trade should trigger a surge in demand for tourist accommodation, which puts buy-to-let investors in line to collect higher rental yields.
This comes after Today's Zaman reported that growing demand for travel to Turkey has prompted local authorities to start reopening defunct airports.
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