26.06.2016 Nevşehir
The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, stating that tourism has gained significant ground in the last 10 years, “The number of tourists visiting Nevşehir has risen to 3 million in the last 10 years from an annual number of 1 million. This will increase even more; the infrastructure for its being prepared.”
Speaking at the iftar supper held by the Nevşehir Chamber of Commerce
and Industry at the Nevşehir Hacı Bektaş Veli University campus, Hisarcıklıoğlu
stated that the shrinkage in tourism is temporary and that Cappadocia, as one
of the most important tourism centers of Turkey, will reach an annual visitor
count of 10 million in the next 10 years.
“When the late Turgut Özal, at a time when Turkey received 300,000
tourists annually, said that Turkey would receive 10 million tourists, nobody
took him seriously but today, we host 40 million tourists annually,” said
Hisarcıklıoğlu and stated that they can become one of the top 10 economies in
the world by working in unity and solidarity.
Stating that Turkey’s resource potential is great, Hisarcıklıoğlu said
that despite Turkey’s lack of petroleum and natural gas, her entrepreneurial
spirit will enable her to be influential in the global economy in the next 10
years.
- “Employment has increased by
65% in Turkey in the last 10 years.”
Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “While employment increased by 65% in Turkey in the
last 10 years, it increased by 81% in Nevşehir. While the number of newly
formed establishments increased by 50% nationally, Nevşehir saw an increase of
73%. This shows Nevşehir’s potential. There are only temporary setbacks to
tourism.
I recently met with the Culture and Tourism Minister. I relayed to him
the need for subsidies for Nevşehir and Kayseri in regards to air travel
bringing in tourists.
A high velocity train line will be built as well as a highway in
addition to the expansion of the airport. Nevşehir will host 10 million
tourists annually in the next 10 years. If we preserve our unity and
solidarity, Turkey will become one of the 10 largest economies in the world.”