Mohamed Salah’s Transfer to Trabzonspor Reshapes Tourism

Mohamed Salah’s move to Trabzonspor is already reshaping more than just a football team – it’s shifting the city’s entire tourism map.

Erkut Çelebi, head of the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, outlined how the Egyptian star’s arrival has triggered a surge in demand from abroad. Interest hasn’t been limited to Egypt. Travellers from across North Africa are now looking at Trabzon as a destination, drawn in by Salah’s transfer and the spotlight it has thrown on the Black Sea city.

Speaking to local outlet 61saat, Çelebi explained that Trabzon’s hotels traditionally operate at full tilt for only three or four months each year before occupancy drops sharply. The pattern is familiar: a short, intense high season followed by long, quiet stretches.

Salah’s signing has given the city a fresh lever to pull. Authorities and business leaders are now working to turn this wave of attention into something more permanent, using the new global interest in Trabzonspor to stretch tourism across the entire year rather than cramming it into a single season.

Trabzonspor confirmed the capture of Mohamed Salah last Thursday, securing him on a free transfer after his Liverpool contract expired at the end of last season. The deal runs for two years.

On the pitch, it’s a statement signing. Off it, Trabzon is already treating it as the start of a new era for the city’s economy.