Tourism Boom to Help Istanbul 2020 Bid

Istanbul’s 2020 bid for the 2020 Olympics was boosted today after it was revealed 50 million international tourists will likely come to Turkey in 2020. 

The latest update to Turkey’s 2023 Master Plan anticipates a rise in international tourism from 33 million in 2012 to approximately 48.5 million by 2020.

This huge visitor increase is set to enhance an Istanbul Games through increased ticket, licensed product and merchandising sales, and increased attendance at live sites and other events such as the Opening Ceremony.

The Opening Ceremony would already have the largest live audience in Olympic history with 70,000 people in the Bosphorus Stadium and half a million people along the banks of the strait.

Istanbul 2020 partner Turkish Airlines is already feeling the effect of the tourist boom through a 26% increase in passengers carried in the first half of this year. The company aims to expand its fleet from 228 aircraft today to 415 aircraft by the 2020 Games.

Ali Kiremitçioğlu, Istanbul 2020 CEO, said: “These latest figures on tourism and from Turkish Airlines prove that Turkey continues to be a growth market ready to welcome the world for an extraordinary Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2020.

“Istanbul has the infrastructure and the capacity to ensure that the Olympic Family and the millions of international visitors will enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience during the Games in 2020.”

Turkish Airlines is one of seven Istanbul 2020 Sponsors who together have provided the largest private-sector investment in any sports bid in Turkish history.