ISTANBUL, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye is promoting niche tourism sites across the country and year-round activities by spearheading the Tourism Century campaign.

The program launched on March 8 also aimed at attracting high-income groups, said Firuz Baglikaya, head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB), its initiator.

The association will explore ways to add cultural and artistic elements to tourism products and host workshops to engage local communities of some destinations and raise awareness about regional tourism values.

TURSAB stands as one of the largest professional organizations in the country, boasting a membership of over 15,000 travel agencies.

Currently, Istanbul, Antalya along the Mediterranean coast, and a few resort towns along the Aegean shores amount to nearly 75 percent of Turkey's tourism potential, Hamit Kuk, chief advisor to the TURSAB president, told Xinhua in a recent interview.

Turkish tourism agencies need to explore and get familiar with the potential in other parts of the country, such as the provinces of Ardahan and Diyarbakir, as well as many other eastern and central provinces, he added.

"For example, we have a 2,500 km long coastline stretching from the southeastern province of Hatay to Ayvalik, a resort town in the western Balikesir province, home to nearly 2,000 ancient cities," Kuk stated.

Kuk noted that the average spending of foreign tourists visiting Türkiye remains below 1,000 U.S. dollars, partly due to the dominance of traditional beach tourism.

"With the incorporation of bicycle tours, invigorating nature walks, captivating winter tourism, and an array of alternative tourism experiences into the framework of the new project, it's anticipated that per capita spending will continue to grow," he said.

Revenue from tourism in Türkiye increased by 17 percent year-on-year to 54.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, and the number of visitors rose by 10 percent to 56.7 million.

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Türkiye targets 60 million visitors and 60 billion dollars of tourism revenue in 2024. Enditem

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