Erkut Çelebi, president of the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, confirmed that the transfer of Mohamed Salah, the star who recently joined Trabzonspor, has revived tourism in the Turkish city.
Çelebi explained that the transfer of Egyptian star Mohamed Salah to Trabzonspor has contributed to increased interest in the city from Egyptian tourists and the peoples of North Africa.
Erkut Çelebi said, during statements reported by the Turkish newspaper 61 Saat: "The city has witnessed great demand from Egypt and North Africa since the completion of Salah's transfer to Trabzonspor."
He added: "With Mohamed Salah's transfer, there is very high demand for our city, not only from Egypt but also from North Africa. We want to extend the tourist season in our city to 12 months."
The president of the Trabzon Tourism Chamber explained that the city has a large number of hotels, but occupancy rises significantly during only 3 or 4 months of the year, stressing the need to benefit from the city's growing popularity and stimulate tourism throughout the year.
He continued: "The arrival of tourists from different regions, along with the increase in flights, has contributed to boosting tourist and economic activity in Trabzon, and Salah's deal has had a clear impact in this regard."
Çelebi added that the transfer of the Egypt national team captain to Trabzonspor has restored vitality to the city, noting a state of enthusiasm among the fans, as well as increased demand for match tickets, subscriptions, and club jerseys.
Erkut Çelebi concluded his statements by saying: "The state of enthusiasm created by Salah's transfer represents a positive boost for Trabzon, and I hope the team succeeds in winning the Turkish league title, because that increases the sports and economic momentum in the city."