Lawmaker criticizes minister over Turkey's low share in sea tourism market

Seda Kaya Ösen, a lawmaker from the YENİ Party in Izmir, has raised concerns about Turkey's underutilization of its significant maritime tourism potential. She pointed out that despite Turkey's 8,592-kilometer coastline, it only secures a 5% share of the European market in yacht, cruise, marina, gulet, and boat tourism.

Ösen highlighted that competitor nations like Greece hold a 30% market share, and Croatia holds 15%. She emphasized that maritime tourism generates higher revenue compared to standard tourism and warned that the momentum gained post-pandemic could be lost if the sector is not comprehensively developed. She noted that provinces like Muğla and Izmir have substantial coastlines, yet the sector has not reached its expected level.

In response, Ösen submitted a written parliamentary question to the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy. She seeks answers on the ministry's overall strategy for maritime tourism, the effectiveness of inspections against unregistered businesses, preliminary data for maritime tourism in 2026 compared to the previous year, medium-term targets for marina capacity and boat docking, and the ecological and economic impacts of the new mooring system implemented in Göcek, Muğla.