More than 1,500 additional hotels in Turkey (Türkiye) have been certified to stage one of the country’s sustainable tourism programme within the last month.
The scheme, developed with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), has now certified more than 7,500 hotels in Turkey – mainly in Antalya, Istanbul and Muğla – representing more than one million beds.
To qualify for stage one of the programme, the hotels have met 14 GSTC criteria and will be required to meet 28 criteria to reach stage two and 42 criteria for full certification.
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The programme forms part of a three-year plan to restructure the country’s tourism industry and aims to ensure all hotels obtain a Sustainable Tourism Certificate by 2030.
Speaking at World Travel Market in London, Minister of culture and tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Turkey saw a 12% increase in UK visitors between January and September compared to the same period in 2022, reflecting the value the country has placed on the UK as a “key market”.
“Over 45 million people visited Turkey in the first nine months of 2023, an increase of 12% from the same period in 2022.
“With over one million hotel beds in our largest tourism regions now sustainably verified and certified, we are happy to see that a substantial number of international visitors to Turkey have stayed in these accommodation facilities.
“While we concentrate heavily on the growth of our tourism industry, we are equally determined to preserve our country’s resources for future generations.”