Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Hisarcıklıoğlu expressed his gratification for the appointment of Manavgat Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Şükrü Vural as honorary consul during the opening of the Slovakian Honorary Antalya Consulate.

Stating that tourism is Turkey’s golden goose, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Turkey has become one of the top seven countries in the world in regards to tourism and has been breaking records every year with the number of guests hosted. However, he stated that Turkey still isn’t using its full potential, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Spain’s coastal length is shorter than ours but hosts 55 million tourists every year. Just by looking at the coastal length, Antalya should be hosting 40 million tourists yearly. Antalya should set its target to surpassing Spain.”

Emphasizing that the government needs to make tourism a priority sector, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that tourism works only in exports and that it contributes fully to the country’s economy. Stating the tourism sector’s importance for Turkey, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If not for If not for our tourism sector, our foreign deficit would have been 25% higher. Tourism sector is the one preventing that today.”

Pointing out that the highest quality hotels in the Mediterranean are in Turkey, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that 5 star hotels in Turkey are viewed as 7 star in Italy and their 5 stars amount to 3 stars in Turkey.

Reminding that Antalya hosted 11 million tourists last year, Hisarcıklıoğlu drew attention to the need for taking these instance into account when setting budgets for provinces. Stating that the budget set aside for Antalya should be larger, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “If budgets are determined according to the number of tourists hosted Antalya will be heavenly.”

Stating that local administrators also have an important role, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that municipality directors should also consider the needs of tourists in addition to their residents’.

Antalya Deputy Mayor Recep Yüksel reported that the number of tourists from Slovakia has increased in recent years; Yüksel said, “We will continue to see more Slovakian tourists in Antalya and our friendship will be founded and sturdy foundations. Antalya has the capacity to host 20 million tourists.”

- Honorary Consul Şükrü Vural

Manavgat Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Şükrü Vural stated that he viewed his duty as honorary consul to be one of honor, pride and responsibility.

Stating that the number of tourists from Slovakia has reached 101,000 in 2011, Vural stated that both the number of tourists and the bilateral trade relations would increase between the two countries.

Slovakia’s Ambassador to Ankara Milan Zachar presented Şükrü Vural with the honorary consul documents.
​