TRNC Ministry of Tourism Budget for 2025 Approved

The Committee on Economy, Finance, Budget, and Planning of the Assembly of the Republic has approved the 2025 budget for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment by a majority vote.

Before the vote, Minister of Tourism, Culture, Youth, and Environment Fikri Ataoğlu left the parliamentary session, citing a heavy schedule. During the budget discussions, Deputy Secretary of State Serhan Aktunç answered questions from members of parliament on his behalf. One of the main concerns raised was that casinos continue to be the primary source of tourism revenue in Northern Cyprus.

It was also noted that this year has seen a "very poor season" for tourism in Northern Cyprus. One member of parliament pointed out that, in the past ten months, 1.3 million people from the UK visited the Republic of Cyprus, while only 34,000 British tourists came to Northern Cyprus.

Following the discussions, the TRNC Ministry of Tourism's budget was approved at 1 billion 936 million 92 thousand Turkish lira.

Later today, the parliamentary committee will discuss the budget for the Chief Auditor-Ombudsman.