One of the drivers of the Turkish economy, the tourism industry continues to grow rapidly, and with each passing day, Turkey secures its position among the most attractive tourism centers in the world. However, since the Russian market is shrinking and the temperature is below average compared to the previous year and since Ramadan has fallen in the June-July period; the industry as a whole has slowed down a little. The representatives of the tourism industry plan to overcome these problems by focusing on market and regional diversity. Their references seem to be the experiences gained in and the bold steps taken by the industry over the last 15 years. Figures obtained in Turkey and across the world point to a significant success achieved in the last 20 years. While the number of tourists visited Turkey in 1980 was 1 million 200 thousand, today this figure exceeds 41 million. As per the figures reported by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 2014, Turkey is the sixth most visited country in the world after France, the USA, Spain, China and Italy. According to the figures of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism; in 2014, 37 million out of total of 41 million tourists are foreign tourists. The countries where most tourists come from are Germany, Russia and the UK with 5 million 250 thousand, 4.5 million and 2.6 million tourists, respectively. Moreover, in 2014, tourists from Iran and other Arab countries increased by 25 percent to 4 million compared to 2013. Most of the tourists from the Middle East come from Iran. The number of Iranian tourists reached 1.5 million. Iran is followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Libya and Lebanon. Hence, Turkey has achieved significant success by increasing tourism revenues from USD 8 billion to USD 34 billion over the last 14 years. According to the World Tourism Organization, Turkey ranks 12th in terms of tourism revenues. As per the 2014 Global Assessment Report of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the industry’s share in total GNP increased by 256 percent. According to the same report, the direct and indirect contribution of travel and tourism industries to the local economy is estimated to be USD 96 billion. Turkey aims to be included among the world’s first five countries in terms of visitors and tourism revenue by 2023. According to the industry representatives, if diversity is achieved, skilled labor will increase and necessary investments and advertisements will be made in the tourism industry, and this target will be easy to achieve. It is crucial for the future of the industry to take the necessary steps in this regard. Although Turkey is the sixth most visited country in the world, according to the 2015 ranking of the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, Turkey ranks 44th among 141 countries in terms of competitive power. Pursuant to the report, a sense of safety is the primary point on which Turkey fails. Turkey is the 121st country among 141 countries in terms of safety. It should be explained that Turkey is a safe country compared to the other surrounding countries through promotional activities. Moreover, Turkey fails in protecting environmental beauty. In general, Turkey’s environmental beauty score is high; however it ranked 95th among 141 countries in terms of the protection of environmental beauty. It seems that changing this common perception through comprehensive policies will make a great contribution to the industry. For instance, Turkey ranked 2nd in the world with 436 blue flagged beaches. All this natural beauty is appreciated; however, there are concerns about protecting them on a global scale. In addition to this, problems regarding the employment of skilled labor are visible across the industry. Turkey ranked 32nd in terms of providing service to its customers. Although this is a relatively good place, it ranked 91st among 141 countries with regards to the employment of skilled labor. If necessary training is provided; there is no reason not to overcome this issue. In this way, it is taken for granted that the tourism industry, the third biggest industry in Turkey with regards to insured staff as of 2014, will reach a better level. TURKEY STANDS OUT WITH ITS CULTURAL HERITAGE On the other hand, Turkey is among the top ranked countries having the most important sites of world cultural heritage. According to the data of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Turkey has 11 sites on the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List. Moreover, Turkey is home to 37 sites within the temporary list. There are 79 antique cities across Turkey. Based on the assumptions of the World Tourism Organization, cultural tourism will experience the most intense growth as of 2020. If Turkey can manage to turn this assumption into reality, it presents great opportunities. Apart from this, the report of the World Economic Forum points to the fact that Turkey stands in a good place in terms of tourism areas such as business tourism and health tourism. There are approximately 200 spa centers in 46 provinces of Turkey. Moreover, Turkey has more than 50 hospitals which comply with the criteria of international health tourism. Currently, there are cities in Turkey such as Istanbul and Antalya which have proven their worth globally regarding tourism potential. For instance, Istanbul has shown the greatest increase of 11.4 percent as of 2015 in Master Card’s The Most Visited Provinces ranking. It has passed New York and Singapore, and ranks fifth. According to the data obtained from Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the number of visitors Antalya hosted in 2014 increased by 3.52 percent to 11 million 941 thousand. Thus, the number of visitors in Antalya increased by approximately 406 thousand compared to the previous year. In the tourism industry, the amount hotel beds in Turkey has reached the limit of 950 thousand. According to the Investment Incentive Certificate lists for February announced by the Ministry of Economy, 5,500 beds will be added. Through planned investments and advertisements, Turkey’s main winter tourism centers and health centers or tourism centers attracting the attention of young tourists may have a place in this ranking. Turkey must go beyond being a 6-month holiday destination which offers its visitors sun- and sea-based attractions, and take firm steps towards becoming a four-season tourism center. THE NUMBER OF RUSSIAN TOURISTS DECREASES So, how will the industry be affected in 2015 when the eastern borders have security problems and the western borders are experiencing financial difficulties? The Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB) expects that Turkey will exceed 42 million tourists to reach a foreign currency inflow of USD 35-36 billion, despite the unfavorable events in the surrounding countries and the economic shrinkages in Europe. The biggest challenge that the industry will face this year seems to be the decrease in the number of Russian tourists as a result of the economic crisis in Russia. According to the information provided by the Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers and Operators Association (AKTOB), the number of foreign tourists visiting Antalya in the first five months of this year decreased by 10.3 percent to 2 million 495 thousand compared to the same period of the previous year. Over the January- May period of 2014, 2 million 784 thousand foreign tourists visited Antalya. Thus, Antalya lost 290 thousand foreign visitors over the five months of the year compared to the same period of the previous year. In the first five months, the number of Russian tourists decreased by 32.4 percent and fell down to 542 thousand from 802 thousand. On the other hand, an improvement in the number of visitors from Western Europe, especially from Germany and the Netherlands, was observed. In June, the number of tourists visiting Antalya from the Netherlands increased by up to 20 percent. Representatives of the industry point to the negative effects of the ongoing economic crisis in Greece on Turkish tourism. Over the last years, tourism professionals in Greece have reduced prices significantly in order to remove the negative effects of the economic crisis in the country. This makes Greece, which is located nearby, more attractive, especially for European tourists. According to the representatives of the industry, tourism services in Greece, are 15 - 40 percent cheaper than the previous year. As per the estimations of TÜRSAB, the number of tourists choosing Greece rather than Turkey reached be exceeded, especially this year. Russian tourists are expected to be attracted to Greece as well. HE TOTAL NUMBER OF TOURISTS ACROSS TURKEY HAS ALSO INCREASED SLIGHTLY Industry representatives, who claim that 2015 will be a year in which uncertainties will increase, are of the opinion that in 2015, tourism professionals in Turkey will benefit from the experiences gained in previous years in terms of ability to manage a crisis and taking firm steps. Despite the decrease in Antalya, the overall figures indicate a reverse situation. The number of tourists who visit Istanbul will increase, and, in general, the total number across Turkey has also increased slightly. In certain regions, the number of European tourists has slightly increased. According to the official figures for the first five months of this year, the number of foreign tourists coming to Istanbul increased by 7 percent. Iran and Arab countries play a great role in this increase. The number of Iranian tourists increased by 35 percent during the January - May period compared to the same period of the previous year. At this point, airplane and passenger numbers are taken as a reference. Pursuant to the data provided by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ), passengers using the airports in May exceeded 16 million across Turkey, and total passenger number during first five months exceeded 63 million. The number of domestic and foreign passengers in many provinces, especially in Istanbul, increased. Moreover, according to the figures by TÜRSAB, bed space has increased by approximately 50 thousand in Turkey this year. Occupancy rates are approximately 80 percent in Istanbul and 70 percent in coastal areas. On the other hand, according to the representatives of the tourism industry, since Ramadan has started and the schools are closed and the temperatures are below average compared to the previous year, the number of domestic tourists has decreased 50 percent in the second half of June and the first two weeks of July. Industry representatives are of the opinion that domestic tourists prefer staying at home during Ramadan. Some of the representatives point out that domestic tourism in Turkey is improving. They emphasize that early booking campaigns change the sense of vacationing of consumers in Turkey. As per the industrial figures; in Turkey, the number of vacationers who have benefitted from early booking campaigns exceeded 3.5 million last year. On the other side, although the number of domestic tourists increased slightly, this increase does not seem to eliminate the effects of the shrinkage in the Russian market. Although the tourism industry, which has achieved significant success over the last 15 years, is expected to slow down due to unfavorable events in the surrounding countries, it plans to overcome these problems by diversification and focusing on developing tourism areas such as health tourism.