INTERNATIONAL STEP BY ETO FOR HEALTH AND CULTURAL TOURISM

The Eskişehir Chamber of Commerce (ETO) has initiated the Discover Eskişehir project to boost the city’s health and cultural tourism, foster cluster formation in this sector, and attract the latest generation of expatriates to invest in and visit Eskişehir. The project’s evaluation meeting and promotion began in Belgium.

ETO has launched another project to shape the future of Eskişehir. The promotion of Discover Eskişehir, aimed at evaluating the city’s potential in health services, establishing a cluster supported by the Ministry, developing cultural tourism, and attracting expatriates for investment and travel, was held in Belgium. The Discover Eskişehir promotion and consultation meeting took place at the TOBB Permanent Representation in Brussels, attended by Turkish Ambassador to Brussels Hasan Ulusoy, Brussels Consul General Umut Deniz, Antwerp Consul General Batu Kesmen, Brussels Commercial Counselor İsmail Gencay Oğuz, Regional Members of Parliament Sadık Köksal and Veli Yüksel, ETO President Metin Güler, and a delegation from ETO. Turkish associations, NGO representatives, executives, and media organizations in Belgium showed great interest in the meeting.

Aim to Develop Health and Cultural Tourism on an International Scale

ETO President Metin Güler noted in his speech that they had planned the Discover Eskişehir project for 2020 but had to postpone it due to the pandemic. With this project, they aim to attract young citizens to the city, boost health tourism, and establish a cluster in this field. Güler stated that they initially started the promotion in Belgium, home to nearly 100,000 people from Emirdağ and Eskişehir, where Turkish residents decorated their businesses with Discover Eskişehir posters to show support. Güler expressed the goal of making Eskişehir’s health and cultural tourism internationally recognized, emphasizing that the city has a strong infrastructure in both sectors.

Eskişehir’s Strong Infrastructure for Health Tourism

Highlighting Eskişehir’s healthcare and tourism infrastructure, Güler mentioned that the city’s hospitals have a total capacity of 3,507 beds. In addition to these hospitals, there are 159 private healthcare centers, including hair transplant centers, clinics, physiotherapy centers, and laboratories. He pointed out Eskişehir’s rich historical and cultural heritage, including tourism assets like Yazılıkaya, the Seyit Battalgazi and Sücaaddin Veli Tombs, the Sivrihisar Armenian Church, and the ancient city of Pessinus, all waiting to be discovered by more people.

Eskişehir Should Be Discovered with Its Museums, Hotels, and Cultural Activities

Güler emphasized Eskişehir’s growing potential in tourism, stating that the city is a “museum city” with nearly 30 quality museums. He also noted that Eskişehir has more than 55 hotels with a capacity of around 4,500 beds, positioning itself strongly in cultural, entertainment, and art tourism. Significant strides have also been made in conference and fair tourism. Güler stated that the initial goal is to attract visitors from Belgium and all other countries where Turkish citizens reside. He also expressed that they expect not only Turks in Belgium to visit Eskişehir but also to bring their Belgian friends and acquaintances, as there is much to discover in the city.

Work Begins on Health Tourism Clustering

As part of Discover Eskişehir, Güler mentioned a three-day tour program for Belgian travel agencies in Eskişehir in April. He added that they would bring together tourism and travel agencies from both Eskişehir and Belgium. Güler noted that work has also begun to create a health tourism cluster supported by the Ministry, bringing together Eskişehir’s hospitals, physiotherapy centers, healthcare facilities, clinics, travel agencies, hotels, and transportation companies. Turkish Ambassador to Brussels Hasan Ulusoy expressed readiness to support the Discover Eskişehir project, highlighting their commitment to contributing to the development of commercial and cultural relations between the two countries.