Ashraf AboArafe
Turkish Embassy in Cairo Hosts “Trabzon Day” — Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen Highlights the City’s Tourism, Trade and Industrial Potential; Trabzon Mayor Welcomes Egyptian Visitors
THE Turkish Embassy in Cairo hosted “Trabzon Day” on Friday, an event aimed at promoting the northeastern Turkish city of Trabzon and showcasing its rich tourism, cultural, commercial and industrial potential to Egyptian audiences.
The event brought together a large gathering of Egyptian content creators, journalists and businesspeople, as well as Eng. Maher Anwar Shatya, Mayor of Nagrig, the hometown of Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah.
The programme featured a promotional film highlighting Trabzon’s most prominent tourist attractions and cultural assets, followed by a performance of the traditional Horon folk dance, one of the city’s best-known cultural expressions, and a presentation of its distinctive cuisine. A special draw for a Mohamed Salah jersey bearing the colours of Trabzonspor also added a sporting touch to the occasion.
Addressing the gathering, Turkish Ambassador to Egypt Salih Mutlu Şen described Trabzon as a unique city blessed with exceptional natural beauty and considerable tourism, commercial and industrial potential.
He noted that Trabzon is also a city with a deep sporting tradition, whose people have a particular passion for sports, especially football.
The Ambassador recalled that Trabzonspor revolutionised Turkish football in the 1970s, when the club broke the dominance of Istanbul’s three major teams by winning the Turkish league title.
“With its lush greenery, mountains, forests, sea, distinctive cuisine and historical monuments, Trabzon is an outstanding tourist destination for our Egyptian and Arab brothers and sisters,” Ambassador Şen said.
He added that Trabzon has become one of the Turkish cities closest to Egyptian hearts, particularly following Egyptian football star Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor.
For his part, Trabzon Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç expressed his pleasure at visiting Cairo, emphasising the importance of strengthening Turkish-Egyptian relations, particularly in tourism and trade.
He pointed out that Mohamed Salah’s arrival at Trabzonspor had helped attract greater attention to the city, expressing his hope that this growing interest would translate into an increase in the number of Egyptian tourists visiting Trabzon.
Genç invited Egyptians to discover the city’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and tourism attractions, stressing that Trabzon warmly welcomes Egyptian visitors.
A High-Level Delegation Building Bridges Between Cairo and Trabzon
The event was held as part of an official visit to Cairo by a Trabzon delegation comprising Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç; Deputy Governor Ali Yılmaz; Chairman of the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry Erkut Çelebi; Chairman of the Eastern Black Sea Regional Representation Council of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), Mehmet Ali Tunay; and Trabzonspor Vice-President Derviş Köz.
The visit aims to promote Trabzon in the Egyptian market and explore opportunities to expand tourism and trade cooperation with Egyptian partners, while building on the increased international attention the city has received following Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor.
Deputy Governor Ali Yılmaz expressed his appreciation for the warm reception extended to the delegation in Cairo, thanking Turkish Ambassador Salih Mutlu Şen and the Embassy staff for their support, hospitality and efforts in facilitating the visit.
Tourism and Business: From Dialogue to Partnership
Meanwhile, Erkut Çelebi, Chairman of the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explained that the Chamber brings together representatives of the trade, economic, agricultural and industrial sectors and organises meetings that enable businesspeople to explore cooperation and partnership opportunities.
He noted that the meetings held in Cairo focused particularly on tourism, underlining the importance of direct communication between tourism companies and institutions in both countries as a means of developing trade and investment relations.
Mehmet Ali Tunay, Chairman of TÜRSAB’s Eastern Black Sea Regional Representation Council, described the bilateral meetings in Cairo as among the busiest and most productive held in recent years.
He explained that the meetings brought together representatives of tourism and travel companies and hotels from Trabzon with their Egyptian counterparts to explore cooperation opportunities and strengthen tourism exchanges between the two countries.
Tunay also announced that TÜRSAB plans to host approximately 25 Egyptian tourism companies in Trabzon from December 1 to 6, as part of its efforts to strengthen professional ties between the tourism sectors of both countries and introduce Egyptian industry representatives to the city’s diverse attractions.
Beyond Football: A Growing Egyptian-Turkish Partnership
The Trabzon Day event reflects a broader effort to transform growing public interest into practical economic and tourism cooperation between Egypt and Türkiye.
Mohamed Salah’s football journey has provided an additional bridge between Egyptian hearts and Trabzon, while the city’s natural landscapes, historical heritage, culinary traditions and economic opportunities offer a broader foundation for lasting relations.
From Cairo to the shores of the Black Sea, Trabzon is seeking to turn sporting enthusiasm into tourism, cultural exchange and business partnerships, opening new horizons for cooperation between the Egyptian and Turkish peoples.
