Springs bring Turkey flows of global visitors

ANKARA－Around 1,500 thermal springs in western Anatolia, Turkey, generated some $1 billion in tourism revenue in 2019.

According to the Thermal Health and Tourism Association, also known as TESTUD, 750,000 overseas travelers visited Turkey's thermal and spa facilities last year, mostly from China, Germany, South Korea, Japan and Russia.

"Our country should focus on thermal tourism besides the sea, sand and sun tourism," said Yavuz Yillik, head of TESTUD, adding that enjoying thermal springs is not a new trend or fashion.

The Romans, who once occupied most of Anatolia, built the ancient city of Hieropolis close to the mineral waters of Pamukkale, renowned for its white limestone terraces shaped by the calcium-rich hot springs and healing waters.

In 2019, Pamukkale, which dates back more than 2,000 years, was the fourth-most visited site in Turkey by foreign tourists seeking respite and cures in the thermal waters, according to official data from the Turkish tourism ministry.

Tourism professionals have hailed the Turkish government's efforts to diversify the country's tourism resources in the last decade, indicating that there is still great potential to invest in spa, thermal and health tourism. Turkey aims to rank in the top two globally in terms of health tourism by 2023.

"Only some thermal springs in western Turkey are used for tourism purposes－there is really a great potential in this sector as awareness and interest in geothermal facilities are growing in the world," said Alp Serin, a tourism professional.

"We can easily triple the revenues that we had for 2019 if we play the game right as we accommodate visitors from all over the planet who want to receive treatment for wellbeing in spring waters, and Turkey offers cheaper options than other thermal-rich countries," Serin said.

He emphasized the need for better cooperation and collaboration between spa and health sectors to offer effective and low-cost treatment packages.

Serin described the provinces of Afyon, Mugla, Denizli, Bursa and Antalya as the preferred tourism locations for foreign visitors who can also visit nearby historical sites.

Turkey is slowly recovering from a recession that hit all sectors of its economy but relatively spared the tourism sector.

The currency crisis of 2018, which caused a drop in the value of Turkish lira by one-third, has boosted the tourism sector, as deals became cheaper for foreign visitors.

Serin said he expected Chinese tourists to rise in the following years as Turkey promotes itself in the Chinese market.

Among Turkey's efforts to draw more Chinese visitors was the recent announcement that Chinese actor Zhu Yawen was named Turkey's tourism envoy in Beijing.