Overvıew

DUE TO REASONS LIKE ITS LARGE SHARE IN THE NATIONAL INCOME, ITS BALANCING IMPACT ON THE CURRENT ACCOUNT DEFICIT, ITS ABILITY TO CREATE FOREIGN EXCHANGE INFLOWS, ITS BOTH DIRECT AND INDIRECT CONTRIBUTION TO EMPLOYMENT AND ITS ROLE IN PROMOTING THE COUNTRY AND ENHANCING ITS IMAGE, THE TOURISM SECTOR IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO TURKEY AND PARTICULARLY TO TURKEY'S ECONOMY.

As a long-term trend, the ever-growing tourism sector is directly influenced by the political and economic conditions in Turkey and the surrounding countries, and especially by security issues. Hence, the tourism sector can have a fluctuating performance in some periods.

Thanks to its sheer size and its many regions with different climatic conditions and geographical formations, Turkey is able to cater to people with different philosophies and tastes regarding tourism. Furthermore, the country is also rich in historical sites and artifacts since it has hosted many important civilizations and states throughout human history. For example, Istanbul is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Additionally, special activities such as conferences, summits, visits of cruise ships are also important for Turkey’s tourism sector.

As for the tourist profile visiting Turkey, we see a considerable increase in the number of Middle Eastern visitors in recent years. On the other hand, the rising popularity of Turkish TV series all over the world has a positive impact on the number of tourists coming to Turkey from remote parts of the world. While gradually increasing its competitiveness, Turkey’s tourism sector has not yet reached the desired performance level. Turkey’s tourism sector, which has been enjoying particular attention especially since the 80’s, aims to become more competitive and sustainable. In a globalizing world with increased and more affordable transportation opportunities, the number of tourists all over the world has been increasing by the year. Turkey is also positively affected by this development and is expected to continue to be affected.

Plastic Sector-Tourism Relation
The tourism sector is one of the largest and most dynamic sectors and it is directly or indirectly related to many different industries. One of its close relationships is with the plastic industry. Plastic products are widely used by everybody from individuals to agencies in the tourism industry, and everywhere from hotels to boats. Personal items such as iPods, headphones, toothbrushes, all of which are travel essentials; as well as clothes and accessories such as swimwear, hats, sunglasses, etc.; and suitcases, cameras and much more are all made of plastics. Majority of garden furniture, pool equipment and bar-restaurant supplies are made of plastic. Many components of most means of transportation are also made of plastic. ACs, museum entrance cards, water bottles, surfs, life buoys … all of these are either made of plastic or contain plastic parts.

Therefore, positive or negative developments in tourism, which is one of Turkey’s leading sectors, closely affects and influences the plastics industry.