Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said at the World Travel Market (WTM) fair in London on Tuesday, 3 November, that Formula 1 will return to Türkiye in 2027, and that airfares on longer routes are expected to rise next year, Beyaz Gazete, Turizm Günlüğü and Yeni Şafak reported.
Ersoy spoke to reporters at the Türkiye stand, which covers 909 square metres with a 255-square-metre destination area, a 50-square-metre sports tourism area and 78 co-exhibitors, according to Beyaz Gazete and Turizm Günlüğü.
Formula 1 and big events
The return of Formula 1 to Türkiye in 2027 was presented at the fair, all three outlets reported. Ersoy listed it alongside international football matches, concerts and other large events. None of the reports gave a race date or venue.
Higher fares, later bookings
Ersoy said the ministry expects an average extra cost of about 100 dollars per ticket on flights of three hours or more, as the effect of airlines’ fuel-price hedging wears off, according to Beyaz Gazete, Turizm Günlüğü and Yeni Şafak. Turizm Günlüğü said the ministry expects this in 2027.
He also said the share of early bookings is falling while last-minute bookings are growing. Yeni Şafak reported that the ministry plans continuous promotion with tour operators, airlines and travel platforms in response.
The United Kingdom is Türkiye’s third-largest source market after Russia and Germany, and Ersoy said he expects its strong performance to continue, the outlets reported. Flight capacity with China has been raised from 21 to 49 flights, with additional flights starting in September.
Congress tourism push
A new unit for meetings, incentive travel, congresses and fairs (the MICE sector) has been set up within the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), the ministry’s promotion body, Turizm Günlüğü and Yeni Şafak reported. It aims to bid for large international corporate events, not only intergovernmental congresses.
The Lütfi Kırdar Congress Centre in Istanbul is to be transferred to the ministry, and the venue of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya is to follow a few months after the event, according to Turizm Günlüğü and Yeni Şafak.
Ersoy repeated the latest official figures: tourism revenue rose 5% to a record 25.526 billion dollars in the third quarter, and 2.4% to 51.278 billion dollars in the first nine months, with 49,132,000 visitors, all three outlets reported. Details of the quarterly data are in our report on record third-quarter tourism revenue.
Sources
- Formula 1’in Türkiye’ye dönüşü WTM Londra Turizm Fuarı’nda tanıtıldı (Beyaz Gazete)
- Türkiye, Kongre Turizminde Küresel Şirketlerin Büyük Organizasyonlarına Talip (Turizm Günlüğü)
- Formula 1’in Türkiye’ye dönüşü WTM Londra Turizm Fuarı’nda tanıtıldı (Yeni Şafak)
Photo: Pamfilyalı / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
