Dear Tourism Professionals,
Thanks to its ancient history and rich cultural diversity, İstanbul is a unique world city that has hosted many civilizations.
It continues to draw humanity`s attention as a center that rises above this priceless common, universal heritage, and develops, changes, and renews itself.
From faith tourism to health tourism, from congress and fair tourism to history tourism; from city and cultural tourism to gastronomy tourism, İstanbul is among the top 10 cities that attract the most tourists in a wide range of tourism-related services.
We are aware and conscious of this great potential and act accordingly to protect and maintain this cultural, architectural, historical, and artistic richness in the best way possible and put the city in the service of humanity.
We feel happy and proud to host the East Mediterranean International Tourism and Travel Exhibition (EMITT), one of the largest tourism exhibitions in our country and the world, for the 24th time.
With more than five thousand exhibitors in Turkey and abroad each year, EMITT, an exhibition that achieved to be one of the top-ranked exhibitions of its kind, has become one of the indicators that strengthen İstanbul`s and our country`s position in the tourism industry and has evolved into an important meeting center.
Opening its doors to 5,620 exhibitors and around 60,000 visitors from 94 countries in 2019, EMITT will continue to determine the tourism destinations of the world and lead the way for the industry as in previous years.
I would like to extend my gratitude to all the people, institutions, and organizations that have contributed to the realization of such an important organization.
I welcome you to our country and our city of İstanbul, express my heartfelt respect for you, and wish a successful exhibition.
Ali YERLİKAYA
Governor of Istanbul