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| Turkey's culture and tourism minister said on Friday that more than 28 million tourists would visit Turkey in 2010. Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Tios ancient city in Caycuma town of Black Sea's Zonguldak province, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay said that Turkey was the only country whose tourism figures did not drop during the global economic crisis in 2009. Noting that the number of tourists visiting Turkey rose by 2.5 percent in 2009 compared to the previous year, Gunay said, "We hope to welcome more than 28 million tourists in 2010. This figure may reach 30 million in 2011". Gunay said tourists mostly preferred the Mediterranean province of Antalya as a holiday destination, adding that Black Sea region would become a popular tourist attraction in the upcoming years. Commenting on the developments in archeology as well, Gunay said archeological excavations gained speed all across Turkey in recent years. Gunay also said that his ministry desired to establish a tourism approach based on history. "Previously, the resources allocated by the state for archeological excavations was below 1 million TL. We have increased such figure to 24 million TL. Archeology will soon experience its golden age," he said. |