Improving Regional Competitiveness of Şanlıurfa Province

Large countries with wide disparities in regional economic development particularly stand to gain from boosting regional competitiveness through policies and projects tailored to regions’ defining features and needs. Şanlıurfa province as one of the Regional Growth Centers in the National Strategy for Regional Development is a gateway for Turkey and Europe to the east; the project’s components ensured the adoption of sustainable tourism approach by supporting local enterprises, tourism and travel industry brought to a leading position by leveraging regional development.  It is the substantial and sustainable impact of the project that the existence and work on the Göbeklitepe, being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site truly fostered the competitiveness of entities help attract investment, yield substantial economic gains and, ultimately, contributed to improving standards of living.

Create Sustainable Governance Model

 Through efficient public private partnership in tourism management with relevant stakeholders throughout all phases of the project, the tourism infrastructure has been strengthened in sustainable tourism policy making, planning and management and a sustainable governance model has been created. To unlock sustainability’s full impact, organizational structure, processes, and governance of the public-private partnership design revisited and adapted to the province’s dynamics. It is the substantial and sustainable impact of the project that sustainable tourism efforts; namely awareness raising and training provided by the project ensured great opportunity in urban and rural areas, where there are no other alternatives for economic activity.

World-Class Level Branding, Promotion and Marketing Strategy And Implement Activities

The project designed and produced marketable tourism related educational and tangible products as vocational trainings and provincial symbols, souvenir prototypes, tour routes, walking routes, smart phone applications, Urfa Pass for incity travels, traveler guides and maps, culinary and art workshops, numerous booklet and guidelines. It is a fact that a well-framed marketing strategy promoted overall uprise of the province. It is the substantial and sustainable impact of the project that strategy and strategic vision of the project created a clear direction for the province and local authorities and this proved to be an important input for the country’s general tourism policies and operational decisions.