Building The Destinations of The Future Today
Dr. Elif Balcı Fisunoğlu, Deputy General Manager of TGA
With its historic fabric, living culture, and natural surroundings, Birgi is one of our distinctive destinations, demonstrating how the past and the future can coexist in the same place. Nestled at the foothills of Mount Bozdağ, this unique settlement is not only a heritage site that needs to be preserved, but also a powerful example of how sustainable tourism can be put into practice on the ground.
Today, the tourism sector is facing global transformations such as climate change, evolving visitor expectations, and the need to protect natural resources. In this new era, sustainability has gone beyond being a choice or a trend and has become a fundamental approach that determines the long-term competitiveness of destinations. While maintaining its strong position in tourism, Türkiye aims to lead this transformation through policies that place the green transition at their core.
In line with the vision of the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Environmental and Cultural Sustainability Program and partnerships established with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) support the transformation of our tourism sector in alignment with international sustainability standards. This approach extends beyond accommodation facilities to encompass destinations through a holistic sustainability perspective.
Implemented through a collaboration between Enerjisa Enerji and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the SENTRUM: Sustainable Energy-Based Tourism Implementation Center project stands out as an important model that strengthens the implementation of sustainable tourism practices on the ground. With the involvement of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, the project's focus has been further strengthened within a framework that supports sustainable transformation at the destination level and aligns with international sustainable destination criteria.
SENTRUM is an innovative collaboration model that goes beyond technical applications, bringing together the public sector, private sector, international organizations, and local stakeholders around a common goal. Through capacity-building initiatives, renewable energy applications, educational programs, and sustainable tourism strategies, the project enhances the resilience of destinations while encouraging the active participation of local communities.
As the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, our role is to ensure that this transformation extends beyond local practices and becomes a compelling story on the international tourism stage. Developing sustainability-focused destinations not only enhances Türkiye's brand value but also enables us to offer visitors more responsible and meaningful experiences.
The work carried out in Birgi once again demonstrates that sustainable tourism is only possible by respecting local identity and ensuring the active participation of communities. Through this approach, inspired by the past while focused on the future, our destinations become more than places to visit; they become values to be learned from, shared, protected, and kept alive.
We believe that the SENTRUM project will continue to contribute to Türkiye's sustainable tourism journey by expanding to different destinations. Through collective wisdom and strong partnerships, we will continue building the destinations of the future today.