Tehran – October 9, 2024
On 9 October 2024, a virtual consultative meeting was held to advance Erzurum’s preparation as the ECO Tourism Capital for 2025. Key representatives from the ECO Secretariat, Turkish officials and local stakeholders attended the meeting, which focused on the upcoming celebration activities.
Opening the meeting, ECO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Jandos Asanov highlighted that the initiative to select cities from the region as the ECO Tourism Capitals has become a well-known tradition of the organization, and the events planned for next year in Erzurum, including next ECO Ministerial Meeting on Tourism will help showcase the city’s rich cultural heritage, historical significance and untapped tourism potential. Mr. Muharrem Çığlık, coordinator of the Erzurum events, outlined a series of activities leading up to the main event in April 2025, when Erzurum will be officially declared the ECO Tourism Capital, in the presence of H.E. President of the Republic of Türkiye and notable representatives from the ECO Member States.
Representatives of the Turkish authorities involved, including the Ministry of Tourism and Culture of the Republic of Turkiye, the Erzurum Governor’s Office, the Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality and the universities based in Erzurum, expressed their strong support for the initiatives to promote the city. In conclusion, Ambassador Asanov thanked Mr Çığlık and urged the Turkish side to provide the Secretariat with timely planning updates for the smooth running of the events to promote tourism in Erzurum.
