Turkey's Strategy for Tourism: A Big Bet on China's Travelers
Skift Take
Turkey is ramping up efforts to attract Chinese tourists. A new memorandum of understanding between Turkey and China aims to bolster tourism cooperation, with Turkish Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy and Chinese counterpart Sun Yeli leading the charge in a meeting last week.
By 2030, Turkey hopes to welcome a staggering 2 million Chinese visitors a year. The keys to Turkey's plan? A combination of visa-friendly policies, increased flight connectivity, and a keen understanding of what makes Chinese millennials tick.
What Do Statistics Say?Turkey's enthusiasm is backed by statistics illustrating a significant uptick in Chinese tourism. In the first four months of 2024 alone, Turkey welcomed nearly 112,000 Chinese tourists, marking a 131% increase compared to the same period the year before.
By 2030, Turkey expects to welcome 2 million Chinese tourists, a nearly fourfold increase from pre-pandemic levels. Projections anticipate more than half a million Chinese visitors by 2025.
Market analysis also suggests that Chinese outbound tourists are increasingly young and tech-savvy and are using online platforms for travel planning.
