Mersin-Girne, 18-22 November, 2025
The 2nd ECO Tour Operators Forum took place between 18–22 November 2025 in the cities of Mersin and Girne, hosted jointly by the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot State. The Forum officially commenced in Mersin with welcoming remarks delivered by the Governor of Mersin, H.E. Mr. Atilla Toros and Mr. Hasan Tufan representing the ECO Secretariat. The Mersin segment featured a presentation by the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, followed by business-to-business (B2B) meetings between tour operators from various ECO countries and local tourism stakeholders.
The official opening ceremony in Girne took place on 20 November, with statements delivered by senior representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye, the Turkish Cypriot State’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth and Environment, as well as the ECO Secretariat. The plenary session on the role of tour operators in tourism development across the ECO region featured speakers from various ECO countries. Discussions focused on topics such as digitalization, sustainability, and enhanced collaboration between tour operators, local communities, and public authorities.
The Forum also included a capacity-building workshop, where participants were trained on multi-destination package development and worked in themed groups to create sample regional tour itineraries. In Girne, additional B2B meetings were held with tourism professionals from the Turkish Cypriot State.
During the closing session, several cooperation agreements signed between tour operators. Furthermore, ECO Secretariat shared a draft concept for the establishment of the ECO Tourism Agencies Federation (ECO-TAF).
