Tourist authorities in Turkey have announced plans to improve tourism facilities and to increase the amount of visitors by introducing a unified standard for accommodation in the country.

According to Turkish news provider Hurriyet, new plans are being designed by the ministry of culture and tourism to attract visitors whereby accommodation facilities licensed by municipalities will be required to meet the same standards as those overseen by the ministry. Tourism officials hope that the scheme will raise the quality of hotel and apartment facilities in response to the growing number of foreign visitors choosing Turkey as a holiday destination.

Ertugrul Gunay, Culture and tourism minister has said he wants Turkey to be in the top five by 2013. He stated that in order to achieve this goal, Mr Gunay said that the amenities and facilities in the top tourist hotspots must work at peak efficiency and be in full working order. This is encouraging news for overseas property owners who depend on tourism to generate returns, such as buy-to-let investors.

The Turkish Daily News stated that Turkish property market could be set to benefit from a boost to the country's tourist trade as tourist numbers are expected to "increase significantly" in the next two years. The website cited the latest figures from the Turkish tourism department which indicate 26 million tourists visited the country in 2008, compared with 23.5 million the previous year.

Labels: Tourism