KAYA DEMİRER: TURKEY'S RETAIL FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRY REACHED A WORTH OF 110 BILLION TL
Turkey's retail food and drink industry reached a worth of TL 110 billion in 2019, according to the chairman of the Turkish Restaurant and Entertainment Association (TURYİD). "Annual growth for 2019 was just below $19 billion," Kaya Demirer said at the Tourism Investors Forum 2020 (TIF 2020) in Istanbul. Supported by the Presidency Investment Office, TIF 2020 hosted a panel called "New Creative Economy and Investment Opportunities of Gastronomy Tourism." Demirer was one of the guest speakers at the panel. Demirer remarked that Turkey has a solid stance compared to other countries. He said the food and drink industry is worth $900 billion in the U.S., $120 billion in the U.K., $100 billion in Italy and $53 billion in Spain. Demirer is also confident about the industry's capacity to create jobs. "The food and drink industry might be the ultimate solution to low employment rates in Turkey," he said, adding that Turkey's young population is employ...