Governor Gül hosted the tourism sector at the “Bâb-ı Âli Gatherings.”

The “Bâb-ı Âli Gatherings,” hosted by Istanbul Governor Mr. Davut Gül, were held at the Sepetçiler Kasrı with the participation of leading representatives of the tourism sector. The meeting comprehensively addressed developments concerning Istanbul tourism, existing problems and proposed solutions.

The program was attended by Deputy Governor of Istanbul Mehmet Sülün, IMM Deputy Secretary General Remzi Albayrak, Fatih Mayor M. Ergün Turan, Istanbul Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism Hüseyin Keskin, TÜROB President Müberra Eresin, ITO Board Member and TUGEV Vice President Bahadır Yaşık, TGA Director General Sinan Seha Türkseven, TGA Deputy Director General Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, TÜROB Secretary General İsmail Taşdemir, along with stakeholders active in the sector and numerous institutional representatives.

The meeting's agenda included current topics directly affecting tourism in Istanbul, such as transportation, touting (hanutçuluk) and food safety. Topics such as increasing the number of international events and establishing a rail system connection between Galataport and the Historic Peninsula to facilitate foreign visitors' access to historic sites were also evaluated.

In his speech at the meeting, Governor Gül emphasized the importance of the cooperation established with the sector, stating: “We have come together with the representatives of our tourism sector in order to make better use of Istanbul's potential. We held a very comprehensive meeting with our sector representatives regarding touting and established the criteria. The next step is to intensify inspections. We have taken note of all the issues. I thank you all for your participation and contributions.”

TÜROB President Müberra Eresin, for her part, noted that the meeting was an important milestone for the sector, saying: “We attach great importance to strengthening public–private sector cooperation in order to ensure the sustainable growth of Istanbul's tourism. The topics addressed today align with the regulations our sector needs most in the field. In particular, issues such as taxis, touting, ease of transportation and food safety directly affect the perception of the destination. We are ready to produce solutions together with all stakeholders in this process.”

We thank Istanbul Governor Mr. Davut Gül for hosting the meeting.