Sports Correspondent
The arrival of Egyptian football superstar Mohamed Salah at Turkish club Trabzonspor is already generating economic benefits beyond the football pitch, with authorities expecting a surge in tourism from Egypt and the wider Arab world.
Salah, 34, joined Trabzonspor on a free transfer following the expiry of his contract with English Premier League giants Liverpool, signing a two-year deal that runs until the summer of 2028.
According to Euronews, the Egyptian forward will earn €17 million a season, making him the highest-paid player in the Turkish top flight. His package also includes 20% of profits from the sale of products and shirts carrying his name, as well as performance-related bonuses, taking the reported overall value of the deal to about €34 million.
The signing has triggered an immediate commercial response in Trabzon, with the club reportedly selling about 15,000 Salah shirts and expecting the figure to rise to approximately 25,000 once outstanding orders are fulfilled.
Season-ticket demand has also increased, with Trabzonspor reportedly reaching about 17,000 season-ticket sales before the start of the new campaign.
Salah’s global popularity is also expected to translate into increased visitor numbers for Trabzon, particularly from Egypt and other Arab countries.
The Turkish Airlines announcement of direct flights between Cairo and Trabzon from August 11 has added to expectations of increased travel. A charter flight carrying 120 passengers had already arrived in the city, according to Turkish media cited by Euronews.
Salah himself has indicated that his ambitions in Turkey remain firmly focused on winning trophies.
“Wherever I go, I win something, or I try to win something,” Salah said during his unveiling. “I hope we can achieve great things in the league, and in European competitions as well.”
The Egyptian’s arrival represents a major coup for Trabzonspor, which last won the Turkish league title in 2022 and is regarded as the strongest challenger outside Istanbul’s traditional big three clubs — Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas.
Salah left Liverpool after a highly successful spell during which he scored 257 goals in 442 appearances and helped the club win two Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League.
His decision to join Trabzonspor reportedly came after talks with Besiktas, who had offered a lower guaranteed salary and a more heavily incentive-based package.
Tourism hopes
Trabzon is already one of Turkey’s major tourism destinations, particularly for visitors from the Middle East and Gulf states.
The city combines Black Sea beaches, mountainous landscapes and historic attractions, including the Sumela Monastery and Uzungol.
According to figures cited by Euronews from Trabzon’s provincial culture and tourism authorities, the city received about 1.447 million visitors, including approximately 808,000 international tourists. Foreign visitor numbers were up from about 711,000 the previous year.
Tourism infrastructure is already operating at high capacity during the summer season. Trabzon airport handles between 24 and 35 international flights a day during peak periods, while hotel occupancy in central Trabzon and the Uzungol area has reportedly exceeded 90%.
The arrival of Salah is expected to add another layer to the city’s tourism appeal by attracting Egyptian supporters who want to watch the former Liverpool star in his new surroundings.
Egyptian visitors currently account for a relatively small share of Turkey’s overall tourism market, with annual arrivals estimated at between 180,000 and 230,000. However, Egypt remains an important Arab market for Turkey, particularly as air connections between the two countries expand.
Turkish authorities and businesses are therefore hoping the Salah effect will extend beyond football merchandise and match-day revenues to hotels, restaurants, airlines, transport operators and other tourism-related businesses.
The mayor of Arakli, a district in Trabzon province, has even offered Salah a plot of land, saying the area could provide the footballer and his family with an attractive place to live.
“We would like to offer Mohamed Salah a beautiful plot of land here and provide him with a special place where he can live with his children and grandchildren,” the mayor said, according to Euronews.
The Salah transfer thus represents more than a high-profile football signing for Trabzonspor. For Turkey, it is an opportunity to leverage one of Africa and the Arab world’s most recognisable sporting personalities to promote the country as a destination for football, tourism and investment.
With direct flights from Cairo to Trabzon beginning next week, Turkish businesses are now hoping that Salah’s enormous fan base will translate into a sustained flow of visitors — turning the Egyptian star’s move into an economic opportunity well beyond the football stadium.
