Gunay praises Turkey's success in tourism

Culture and Tourism Minister Ertugrul Gunay yesterday said that Hagia Sophia Museum was the mostly visited museum in 2011. Speaking in a meeting held at the Directorate General of Cultural Assets and Museums, Gunay said that the number of tourists visiting museums and historical attractions climbed to 28,462,893 with an increase by 13 percent last year. Gunay added that the number of tourists visiting the Hagia Sophia Museum surpassed the number of visitors of Topkapi Palace for the first time and that this situation partly derived from opening the tombs of Selim II, Mehmet III and Murat III to visit after 50 years. Gunay reiterated that the Culture and Tourism Ministry would open 19 new cultural centers by the end of 2012 and that private theaters were provided with a support totaling 3.5 million Turkish liras in 2011.