Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy revealed remarkable tourism statistics and upcoming cultural festivals for the year 2023 in a press conference held at Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) on Monday.

Building on 2022's success, Ersoy announced that this year's "Culture Road" festivals, which draw attention to the cultural, architectural and historical heritage of the cities and offer a unique cultural experience, will expand to encompass 11 cities of Türkiye.

To preserve and maintain the cultural heritage as a whole with tangible and intangible efforts, this cultural regalement held the dynamics of the seven cities last year as well as branding them in the culture and arts agenda of Türkiye and the world through nearly 4,000 events, hosting over 20,000 artists.

First, the Cappadocia Balloon and Culture Road Festival in Nevşehir will kick off on Aug. 5, followed by the Trabzon-Sümela Culture Road and Erzurum Palandöken Culture Road Festival between Aug. 19-27.

Throughout September, cultural celebrations will unfold across the country, including the Troya Culture Road in Çanakkale, GastroAntep Culture Road in Gaziantep and the Başkent Culture Road in Ankara.

Finally, in October, five more culture road projects, Mystic Music Festival in Konya, Beyoğlu Culture Road in Istanbul, Sur Culture Road in Diyarbakır, Ephesus Culture Road in Izmir and Antalya Culture Road festivals will be offered to culture enthusiasts.