By Ali Riza Akkir
MUGLA, Türkiye (AA) - Four million British tourists are expected to visit Türkiye in 2024, the UK's envoy in Ankara said Thursday.
The figure is expected to exceed 5 million in 2025, Jill Morris said during a visit to the Mediterranean resort town of Fethiye in Türkiye's southwestern province of Mugla, according to a bulletin provided by the municipality.
Morris also visited Fethiye Mayor Alim Karaca, adding that many British tourists prefer Mugla for vacation.
Emphasizing that Fethiye is a significant center for agricultural production as well as tourism, and exports are made to various countries from the town, she said that foreign investors coming to Fethiye will add great value to the region and within the framework of negotiations in Ankara and London between the British government and Turkish authorities, export gates will be opened to the UK for important agricultural production centers, including Fethiye in the upcoming period.
Expressing satisfaction with Morris' visit, Karaca said: “In domestic and international tourism fairs, photos of our Fethiye appear everywhere.
"We also hold important meetings through the stands we open at fairs. We have no doubt that the tourism season will be very good this year. As the municipality, we contribute to the tourism of the district as much as we can,” he said.
Stating that efforts are underway to extend the tourism season and initiatives are underway to increase the number of direct flights between the UK and Dalaman district in Mugla, Karaca noted that Fethiye is represented in London every year by various non-governmental organizations and he would like to visit this year's World Travel Market (WTM) London.
*Writing by Serdar Dincel from Istanbul