Türkiye’s work in the field of sustainable tourism and accessibility was deemed worthy of an award at the TTG Travel Industry Awards 2026 organized by Travel Trade Gazette (TTG), one of the well-established publications of the UK travel industry.
Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in his post on his social media account, stated that Türkiye has won another international award in the field of sustainable and accessible tourism.
Emphasizing that they have realized their goals in tourism with concrete steps, Ersoy said:
“With our sustainable tourism program, we are expanding environmentally friendly practices in our accommodation facilities, and increasing our opportunities for everyone to benefit from the sea and holiday with our accessible public beaches.”
Ersoy congratulated the TGA team and all industry stakeholders who contributed to winning the award.
THE AWARD WAS GIVEN FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR
At the ceremony held at The Roundhouse in London with the participation of industry representatives, TGA was awarded the “Destination for Change” award, which was given for the first time this year.
Prize; It aims to highlight destinations that take care of local communities and visitors and implement an environmentally friendly and inclusive tourism approach with concrete practices.
In the jury evaluation, attention was drawn to Türkiye’s ability to achieve measurable results by implementing its tourism strategy on a large scale. Efforts to increase accessibility in tourism, especially with the sustainability certification of accommodation facilities, came to the fore.
SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS SPREAD ACROSS THE COUNTRY
Turkey has implemented the Türkiye Environmental and Cultural Sustainability Program within the scope of the cooperation initiated by signing an agreement at the government level with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) in 2022.
While sustainability standards spread to accommodation facilities across the country with the program, more than 2,500 facilities were entitled to receive the international GSTC certificate.
ACCESSIBLE PUBLIC BEACHES WERE FEATURED IN THE APPLICATION
TGA’s award application also included Türkiye’s practices that support the equal participation of visitors with different needs in tourism activities.
In the accessibility section of the application, studies carried out on public beaches were particularly highlighted. Accessible public beaches, which make it easier for everyone to benefit from the sea and holiday opportunities, were presented as concrete examples of Türkiye’s inclusive tourism approach.
