Türkiye’s hotel sector says Ankara’s hosting of the NATO meeting has strengthened the country’s image as a reliable destination for international events and high-level tourism.
Müberra Eresin, president of the Turkish Hoteliers Association, said the summit in Ankara on 7 and 8 July 2026 showed that Türkiye can deliver major gatherings at a high standard while also supporting congress and meetings tourism.
She said the event brought together world leaders and sent a strong message about Türkiye’s hospitality, organisational capacity and tourism potential.
Eresin said the meeting, which followed months of preparation, was completed successfully and highlighted the work of hotels, congress centres and the wider service sector in Ankara.
She said the Presidential Complex, along with the city’s hotels and conference venues, presented Turkish hospitality at the highest level.
The association chief also said the summit gave foreign guests a closer look at Turkish culture, art and cuisine. She added that official receptions featuring examples of Turkish food helped promote the country’s gastronomy on the international stage.
Hosting one of the world’s most important security gatherings also reflected international confidence in Türkiye’s stability, Eresin said. She described that as a valuable reference for the tourism industry.
The summit also underlined Ankara’s growing role in the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, or MICE, segment. Eresin said the capital had again proved it could host large-scale international events thanks to its infrastructure and organisational capacity.
“This important event once again showed not only Türkiye’s diplomatic strength, but also its ability to host guests and compete internationally in tourism,” Eresin said in her closing remarks.
She thanked the president, the Foreign Ministry, the Culture and Tourism Ministry, other relevant ministries, the Ankara governor’s office, security forces and tourism workers who welcomed the guests.
The NATO meeting in Ankara comes as Türkiye continues to promote itself as a destination for business events as well as leisure travel. For the hotel sector, the successful staging of the summit is likely to be used as evidence that the country can manage complex international gatherings while showcasing its service standards to a global audience.
Industry figures have long viewed MICE tourism as a key growth area because it brings business travellers, government delegations and high-spending visitors into cities outside the usual resort market. In that context, Ankara’s role in hosting the summit may help strengthen its reputation beyond its political function.
Eresin said the event proved that Türkiye’s “hospitality capacity” and “international competitiveness” in tourism had been demonstrated once again. She also said the summit’s success was a strong endorsement of Ankara as a conference destination.
That message is likely to resonate with organisers of future international meetings looking for destinations that can combine security, logistics and hospitality. Türkiye’s tourism sector, meanwhile, will be hoping the visibility created by the summit translates into more business event demand in the capital and beyond.
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