JEDDAH, 31 October — Turkey, which is currently studying investment prospects in the Kingdom, is best suited to offer expertise in further developing and expanding the country’s tourism industry, according to new Turkish Consul General Hilmi Dedeoglu.
Speaking to Arab News on the occasion of his country’s National Day, which was marked by a reception at his residence here on Tuesday night, Dedeoglu said: "Turkey is best known the world over for its popular tourist places. We attract over 10 million tourists a year and they are increasing year after year. We’ve the necessary infrastructure and a well-developed tourist industry. So we’re in a position to offer our talents and expertise in further shaping the Kingdom’s tourism sector."
Turkey excelled in the construction sector and has advanced a great deal in manufacturing household appliances, textiles and food processing. "These are some other areas where we could consider partnerships or joint ventures," the consul general added.
The bilateral trade came down last year to $1.2 billion — $500 million of Turkish exports to the Kingdom and $700 million Saudi exports to Turkey, from about $2 billion a few years ago. He attributed the drop to the transportation problem caused by the situation in Iraq and collapse of the Eastern Bloc.
"The Balkans, Asia and Eastern Europe have proved to be successful for Turkish investors. However, Turkish businessmen are now rediscovering the Kingdom’s emerging business environment through increased participation in trade exhibitions," he said.
Dedeoglu emphasized that his country had many relative advantages the Kingdom could benefit from. "Geographically, we’re closely located, and have cheap labor and long experience in many sectors of industry including tourism," said Dedeoglu, for whom this is his first posting in the Middle East and fourth overseas.
He expected 70,000 to 80,000 pilgrims to come for Haj this year. "The drop in the number from 90,000 in the last few years is due to a weak economy and expensive air travel," he said.
There are about 50,000 Turkish expatriates in the Kingdom, 50 percent of them in the Western Province.
