19 March 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Culture and Tourism Minister Ertuğrul Günay has said that a total of $50 million will be spent by the public and private sectors to promote Turkey in Russia, with an expectation of raising the number of Russian tourists to Turkey to 3 million this year.
Günay, who was in Moscow to attend the International Travel and Tourism Exhibition (MITT), noted that the ministry had spent more than $10 million on promoting the country in Russia last year despite the global financial crisis. This year the ministry has allocated $8 million, but this figure is again expected to exceed $10 million through to the end of the year, he said. “The private sector’s spending on promotion will be some four to five times this figure. So jointly, the private and public sectors will conduct a promotion campaign worth some $50 million in Russia this year.” The number of tourists coming from Russia to Turkey is also expected to be around 3 million, he stated.
