Salah’s Move to Trabzonspor Boosts Trabzon Tourism

⚽️ Salah’s Move to Trabzonspor Boosts Interest in Trabzon Tourism

The transfer of Egyptian striker Mohamed Salah to Turkish football club Trabzonspor is expected to attract a new wave of tourists to the Black Sea city of Trabzon.

According to Tamer Erdoğan, director of the Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the arrival of the world-famous footballer has drawn international attention to Trabzon.

Last year, the city welcomed 1.45 million visitors, including 808,009 international tourists. Erdoğan said Salah’s transfer has generated significant international interest, particularly because of the footballer’s millions of followers on social media.

Football could give Trabzon tourism an additional boost

According to Erdoğan, Trabzonspor matches are broadcast in 40 countries, which could further increase the city’s international visibility.

🇪🇬 Interest from Egypt is already showing signs of growth. A total of 7,125 Egyptian tourists visited Trabzon in 2025, while 3,170 Egyptian visitors arrived during the first seven months of 2026.

This means that the number of Egyptian tourists during the first seven months of this year increased by 14% compared with the same period last year.

Erdoğan attributed the increase partly to new direct charter flights from Cairo to Trabzon.

Direct flights from Cairo have started

✈️ Direct charter flights between Cairo and Trabzon began on August 5 and will operate twice a week until the end of October.

Erdoğan noted that the first charter flight from Cairo arrived in Trabzon on the same day that Salah arrived in the city.

Local authorities are also preparing special tourism initiatives targeting countries in the Far East and North Africa.

Tour agencies are preparing football tourism packages

Mehmet Ali Tuna, chairman of the Eastern Black Sea Regional Executive Board of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies, said the new flight connections are expected to have a positive impact on tourism.

According to Tuna, Salah is also popular in Turkic-speaking countries. Travel agencies have already prepared package tours from Uzbekistan to Trabzon for Trabzonspor’s first home match during the second week of the championship.

“We have received a very serious response in terms of tourism. The main thing is to turn this into an advantage for our city.”

Salah’s transfer puts Trabzon in the international spotlight

🌍 The combination of Salah’s global popularity, new direct air connections and growing interest in football tourism could provide Trabzon with an additional opportunity to attract international visitors.

Tourism officials expect the impact of the footballer’s transfer to become more visible in the coming months as Trabzonspor matches are broadcast internationally and more visitors travel to the city to attend games.

Key point: Local tourism authorities see Mohamed Salah’s transfer to Trabzonspor as an opportunity to increase Trabzon’s international visibility and attract more visitors, particularly from Egypt, Uzbekistan and other international markets.