Dr. Ahmet Savaşan became Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister's Office

Dr. Ahmet Savaşan, who was appointed as a Senior Executive at the Prime Minister's Office with the decision of the Council of Ministers in order to ensure that tourism and higher education have a sustainable structure as a State Policy and to ensure the establishment of a structure to ensure the necessary coordination, emphasized that the government's goal is to increase the revenues from tourism and higher education and to increase the welfare of the people of the country.

The government has taken a historic step.

Stating that all ministers of the government, especially Prime Minister Ersin Tatar, know very well what tourism and higher education mean for the country's economy, Savaşan pointed out that in recent years, stakeholders have also demanded that tourism and higher education should be a State policy and be provided with a sustainable structure. Pointing out that this is the first time that a government has produced a Council of Ministers decision for these two fields to become State Policy, Savaşan said, “Our Council of Ministers has taken a historical step with this decision.”.

Stakeholders' demands will be taken into account...

Pointing out that the TRNC's imports are 1.778 billion USD, exports are 105 million USD and foreign trade deficit is 1.672 billion USD, Dr. Ahmet Savaşan said that the highest income in the country is obtained from tourism with 865 million USD, followed by higher education with 765 million USD.

Stating that the government is acting by taking into account both the economic data and the demands of the stakeholders, Ahmet Savaşan emphasized that with the political determination of the government and the positive contributions of the stakeholders and the coordination work to be carried out with the title of Chief Advisor to the Prime Ministry, it will be possible to double the income from tourism and higher education to 3 billion USD by the end of 5 years.

The goal is sustainable and responsible tourism...

“The dizzying pace of the age of consumption and technology we live in, and the bombardment that almost invades our private lives, is turning us into more conscious travelers by encouraging us to live more slowly and digestively, to seek more meaningful and satisfying experiences,” said Ahmet Savaşan, pointing out that the trend in the tourism sector is changing.

Pointing out that conscious tourists now choose their holiday destinations among countries that support sustainable and responsible tourism, Savaşan said that people prefer to witness the culture of the country closely by living with the local people of the region they visit. Savaşan pointed out that the number of countries adopting these trends is increasing day by day.

The importance of digital marketing is increasing...

Stating that the Ministry of Tourism and Environment is working with the sector to increase per capita spending by developing tourism types that generate more income, extending the length of stay, creating non-accommodation spending areas and reaching visitors with high spending tendencies, Savaşan emphasized that digital marketing should be given importance in order to increase the number of visitors from these countries by identifying markets with high demand for tourism types that generate more income such as gastronomy, golf, health, cruise, wedding, faith, congress and shopping.

Local labor force and use of local products should be increased...

Dr. Ahmet Savaşan also pointed out that the scattered legislation on the tourism sector should be revised according to today's needs, and said that necessary steps should be taken to diversify tourism services, support investments, encourage tourism management, reduce costs on the sector, and use local labor and local products.

Educational Tourism will reach 300 billion dollars in 2025...

“The growth and freedom of a country depends on a strong economy, and a strong economy depends on a high level of exports,” said Ahmet Savaşan, noting that the annual global goods trade in the world is 17-18 trillion USD, while the services trade is 5 trillion USD.

Pointing out that in 2025, the number of international students in the world is estimated to be 7.2 million, Savaşan emphasized that while the turnover in the Education Tourism sector is 100 billion dollars today, it is estimated to approach 300 billion dollars in 2025.

We need to solve quality, branding, promotion and sustainability...

Pointing out that when the higher education sector is mentioned in the TRNC, educational tourism is mentioned, Ahmet Savaşan said, ‘Educational Tourism is a very important sector for us, as in all countries, for the export of services, internationalization of our educational institutions, intercultural dialogue, development of international trade and strengthening the strategic position of our country in other countries. He pointed out that a quality education system, inter-institutional coordination, cooperation with universities, other educational institutions and relevant non-governmental organizations are essential for the development of this sector and to reach the targeted income in the medium term. If we want to be among the leading players in education tourism in our region, we need to solve quality, branding, promotion and sustainability.