In her speech at the Matild Palace hotel, the Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Hungary Gülşen Karanis Ekşioğlu emphasized that the success of the 2024 Turkish-Hungarian Cultural Year has given new momentum to tourism relations between the two countries.
“Turkey is no longer known merely as a summer seaside destination, but as a year-round travel option offering rich culture, art, history, and wellness opportunities,” the ambassador highlighted.
According to her, thanks to more than 130 cultural events and related media appearances, including 26 print, 53 television, and numerous radio features, Türkiye took center stage in Hungary last year.
“These efforts helped connect Turkish and Hungarian people on a deeper level, fostering lasting bonds and shared experiences,” the ambassador added.
“We are already witnessing the impact of the work we have done together. In 2024, more than 250,000 Hungarian travelers visited Türkiye. Based on first-quarter trends and growing market interest, we expect this number to rise in 2025 and aim to maintain a steady upward trajectory in the years ahead,” Ekşioğlu emphasized.
During the same period, Turkey achieved a global milestone, welcoming 8.844 million international visitors and generating USD 9.5 billion in tourism revenue, the strongest first-quarter performance in the country’s history. This year’s goals are to reach 65 million international tourists and USD 64 bln in revenue.
“This event marks the first time we are organizing a Turkish tourism workshop on this scale in Hungary. We see it as the beginning of a long-term collaboration, one built on trust, cultural connections, and shared opportunity. Whether you are a travel agent, journalist, content creator, or tourism partner, your engagement is essential in strengthening our bilateral tourism ties,” the ambassador said.
“This is only the beginning, the first step in a long-term collaboration built on trust and shared cultural values,” she added.
In the following presentations, representatives of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA) emphasized the importance of the Hungarian market to Türkiye. The most popular destinations for Hungarian tourists include Istanbul, as well as the Turkish Riviera with cities such as Antalya, but the TGA also highlighted other regions, such as Cappadocia, famous for its hot air balloons, as well as towns on the Aegean coast.
The presentations also highlighted a growing interest in cultural, gastronomic, wellness, and active tourism in recent years. They pointed out that Türkiye is not only a holiday destination but a year-round experiential travel option with diverse opportunities.
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of May 30, 2025.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
