400 Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors Began Duty with a Ceremony at Sultanahmet Square

400 Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors started duty with a ceremony organized at Sultanahmet Square where Fatih Mayor Mr. M. Ergün Turan, President of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and TUGEV, Mr. Şekip Avdagiç, and Istanbul District Director of Culture and Tourism Mr. Coşkun Yılmaz were present. Mayor Turan noted that they believe in information and culture of the young people.

With the program organized in cooperation with Fatih Municipality, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, and TUGEV and that attracted broad participation, 100 volunteer tourism ambassador for this summer started their duty with a ceremony organized at Sultanahmet Square. Fatih Mayor Mr. M. Ergün Turan, President of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and TUGEV, Mr. Şekip Avdagiç, and Istanbul District Director of Culture and Tourism Mr. Coşkun Yılmaz attended and supported the program.

Ambassadors Will Provide Services on 6 Historic Points

Volunteer tourism ambassadors will guide tourists on 6 historic points from Hagia Sophia to Sultanahmet, from Eminönü to Beyazıt, from Divanyolu to Gülhane. They will respond to questions from tourists in 10 different languages including Russian, Italian, Japanese, and French and promote the rich historic and cultural heritage of Istanbul to visitors in the best possible way. in the course of this duty, the ambassadors will find the chance to improve their both language skills and social competencies.

Message of Confidence and Appreciation to the Young People

Speaking at the ceremony, Fatih Mayor Mr. M. Ergün Turan emphasized their confidence in information and culture of young people and expressed their love for them. Mayor Turan noted that such projects make significant contributions to personal development of young people and thanked President of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and TUGEV, Mr. Şekip Avdagiç for their support.

Aims of and Expectations from the Project

Thanks to this project, tourists will receive more informed and friendly service at historic and touristic areas of Istanbul. Another target is having young people gain information and get experience on the tourism sector. Giving correct and quick responses to questions of tourists, they will contribute to pleasant and informative experience visitors will have in Istanbul.

President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and TUGEV, Mr. Şekip Avdagiç said young people assuming duty as tourism ambassadors will increase tourism potential of Istanbul and make positive contributions to international image of the city. He added that such projects would be good starts for young people in their careers.

This program will best present historic and cultural wealth of Istanbul with active participation of young people and ensure both local and foreign tourists will have more information about the city. Therefore, tourism sector will grow stronger in Istanbul and tourists will be pleased more.

Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors

Organized for the 14th time this year, the Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors project presents guidance service to tourists in Fatih that is one of the most significant cultural tourism routes of Türkiye. The project facilitates travel of tourists in addition to presenting young people opportunities to socialize, improve their foreign language skills, and meet different cultures.

Volunteer Tourism Ambassadors are meticulously selected every year with exams and interviews. They begin duty at historic and touristic regions such as Sultanahmet, Hagia Sophia, Yerebatan, Divanyolu, The Covered Bazaar, and Eminönü provide free guidance services to tourists in many languages such as English, Spanish, German, Arabic, French, Farsi, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, and Russian. The ambassadors are easily recognizable with their t-shirts that read “Bana Sor/Ask Me” are young people aged 16 to 30.

Participants are awarded with a participation certificate at the conclusion of the project. These certificates are important references for the young people in their future careers. The Voluntary Tourism Ambassadors project increases tourist satisfaction while also bringing in valuable experiences for the young people.