In response to the global shift towards environmentally sustainable tourism practices, the Culture and Tourism Ministry is taking decisive steps to enact climate-friendly tourism development legislation.
According to an article in Hürriyet Daily News, as part of the 2024-2028 strategic plan, initiatives are underway to bolster cultural richness and tourism while addressing the issue of climate change.
The five-year plan outlines a multifaceted approach to promote environmentally conscious tourism, with a focus on enhancing the “Türkiye” brand value in the global tourism market.
Central to this effort is the creation of local brands under the Türkiye umbrella brand, aimed at showcasing the diverse culture and natural heritage of each province.
To attract environmentally conscious travelers, the plan emphasizes the importance of destination-based branding and the adoption of digital channels for promotion. Specialized accounts will be established for each province, featuring original content and leveraging artificial intelligence for targeted promotional activities.
Furthermore, efforts will be intensified to increase the number of Blue Flag beaches, which are certified for their high environmental and quality standards, with expanded microbiological analysis of water to ensure quality and identification of potential candidate beaches.
The plan also sets ambitious targets for increasing certified tourism rental houses to 20,000 this year and 40,000 in 2028. It aims to boost visitor numbers to Türkiye from 56.7 million to 77 million in five years. Tourism revenue, which is estimated at $54.3 billion this year, is projected to reach $100 billion in 2028.
In addition to tourism development, the plan prioritizes research and protection activities for cultural assets, particularly focusing on areas at risk of illegal excavations. Awareness campaigns will aim to combat smuggling, while technological advancements will be made in museum operations, including data analysis from visitor satisfaction surveys to drive improvements.
Humanitarian organizations concerned about heat as summer arrives
Extreme heat is one of the most deadly problems caused by climate change, even though it receives less attention than other knock-on effects like hurricanes and flooding, two of the world’s leading humanitarian organizations warned Thursday.
Climate change’s effects aren’t limited to already hot places like the Middle East: in Europe, the fastest-warming continent in the world, more than 60,000 people were estimated to have died in heat waves in 2022.
The year 2023 was the hottest year on record and The Red Cross and the U.S. Agency for International Development delivered warnings against the “invisible killer” of extreme heat heat which is already deadlier than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes combined.
Source: Daily Sabah
