Turkey is willing to invest in formation of the tourism cluster in the North Caucasus, Deputy Director General for promotion of tourism products of the Turkish Ministry for Culture and Tourism Levent Demirel said at a session of the Russian-Turkish group for tourism, ITAR-TASS reports.
Demirel said that the North Caucasus is a beneficial investment cluster. He emphasized that Russia has rich culture and natural heritage and expressed confidence that Turkish investors could become more active on the Russian tourism market.
The deputy director general noted that the Turkey has been prioritizing tourism business since 1980. It has about 40 offices abroad, including offices in Brazil and Australia. A new office is planned in St. Petersburg.
Turkey makes $25 billion from tourism annually, about $4 billion come from Russian tourists.
31.5 million foreign tourists visited Turkey in 2011, 3.5 of them were Russians.
The Northern Caucasus Resorts State Company organized a presentation of the tourism cluster in Istanbul within the framework of the EMITT tourism exhibition of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Seven new skiing resorts are planned to be built by 2020 in the region. They include Lagonaki (Krasnodar Territory and Adygeya), Arkhyz (Karachay-Cherkessia), Elbrus-Bezengi (Kabardino-Balkaria),Mamison (North Ossetia - Alania), Matlas (Dagestan), Tsori and Armkhi (Ingushetia) and beach resorts on the Dagestani coast of the Caspian Sea. Experts expect 5-10 million tourists in the North Caucasus annually.
