― 9 июля 2025 г.

Ankara has been declared as "Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2026"

At the 10th Meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the Organisation of Turkic States, important decisions were made to strengthen cooperation in the field of tourism in the Turkic World.

Within the scope of the meeting, it was decided to implement the joint application of a museum card, increase cultural cooperation and declare Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, as the ‘Tourism Capital of the Turkic World’ for 2026.

Delivering the opening speech at the meeting, the Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy emphasised the importance of joint tourism policies and said:

‘Steps such as the creation of joint routes  of tourism, the provision of visa facilities and the joint promotion of cultural heritage will make not only your countries but the entire Turkic World more visible and attractive.’

In his speech, Deputy Secretary General Sayit Yusuf who  represented TURKSOY at the meeting pointed out that culture and tourism are two complementary elements and said: "Culture is the memory of a nation; tourism is the most sincere language that introduces this memory to the world. Today, we are taking a step which strengthens not only  our economic cooperation but also our bonds of friendship. At TURKSOY, we have always been bringing the Turkic World together through art, music, poetry and tradition to introduce this richness to the whole world." and emphasised the importance of activities carried out in the field of tourism based on cultural diplomacy.

The contribution of the Cultural Capital of the  Turkic World to tourism was also mentioned at the meeting.