On the 10th (local time), at the ancient city of Ephesus in Izmir Province, Türkiye. On the marble street imbued with 2,000 years, English, Chinese and Korean crisscrossed nonstop. They were tourists from around the world who came to see ancient ruins such as the Temple of Artemis and the Library of Celsus. At the "Ephesus Experience Museum," outfitted with large-format visuals and immersive sound, they also viewed streets and markets from the Roman era more than 2,000 years ago, as well as the Temple of Artemis.
Türkiye is putting tourism at the forefront of the national economy. It has picked tourism to make up for waning price competitiveness in the textile and apparel industries that long supported the economy and the slowdown in growth of the marble industry. Building on its rich cultural heritage, it is sprucing up city centers such as Istanbul, which attract visitors from around the world, and focusing on extending tourists' length of stay and increasing their expenditure.
The rise of tourism dovetails with a slowdown in traditional manufacturing. Türkiye's apparel exports peaked at $21.2 billion (about 28 trillion won) in 2022, then fell 21% to $16.8 billion (about 22.5 trillion won) last year. Wages and materials and supplies costs rose due to high inflation, but the lira's depreciation did not keep pace, eroding price competitiveness. If prices go up, orders are lost; if they are frozen, profitability worsens.
The natural stone industry, including marble, is also growing slowly compared with its global stature. Türkiye is the world's No. 3 exporter, accounting for 11.6% of the global natural stone export market, but export value has been stagnant for more than a decade, from $2.23 billion (about 3 trillion won) in 2013 to $2.1 billion (about 2.8 trillion won) last year.
With growth faltering in key industries, Türkiye is building tourism into a new pillar. It also prepared the "Tourism Master Plan 2024–2028." The Ministry of Culture and Tourism set this year's tourism revenue target at $68 billion (about 91.4 trillion won).
Centered on the Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), it is promoting the national brand while adding tourism content to existing cultural heritage. The experience museum at the ancient city of Ephesus, opened in 2023, is a prime example. In Pamukkale, Denizli Province in southwestern Türkiye, after introducing hot-air balloon tours in 2017, it began opening the travertine terraces and the Hierapolis ruins at night starting in 2024. It expanded the time and space of tourism, once confined to the ground and daylight, to the sky and night.
While expanding cultural heritage content, it is also meticulously managing downtown Istanbul, which links Europe, Asia and Africa. At major tourist spots in Istanbul on the 8th, "tourism police" in orange cars stood out.
They said they applied a highly visible orange to vehicles and uniforms so tourists who are lost or face dangerous situations can easily recognize them from a distance and quickly seek help. The tourism police patrol major attractions and handle everything from giving directions to cases of loss and theft.
Guven Duzenli, who works locally as a guide, said, "Every country has thieves, so you should keep close tabs on your money," but added, "However, Türkiye is not known as being more notorious for thieves than other countries in Europe, and authorities carry out thorough safety management in the city center."
Beyond public safety, the city's look as seen by tourists has also been polished. Streets that draw crowds of visitors, such as Taksim Square and the area around Hagia Sophia, were generally kept clean and orderly. It was hard to find litter on sidewalks, and areas around shops were tidy. Even during the day, sanitation workers cleared piles of trash and spruced up the streets.
Michael from Germany said, "I often get stressed while traveling just because the streets are dirty, but places crowded with tourists were cleaner than expected, so I could look around comfortably."