The tourism fair held in Tehran, the capital of Iran, has concluded. Alanya was represented at the fair by Süha Özçakıl, an official of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV). Özçakıl stated the following regarding this market, in which we hosted 1 million 700 thousand guests in 2015 and 1 million 665 thousand guests in 2016:
“THEY LOVE TURKS VERY MUCH”
In general, there is a lot of interest in Türkiye, but both consumers and sellers are on standby due to flight permit procedures. They stated that Alanya's visibility has increased in the last 3 years, with real estate sales and Nevruz Bayramı organizations particularly supporting this. However, the Nevruz Bayramı operation is expected to be lower compared to last year. It is being discussed that Türkiye has no alternative and that these two such close cultures will not give up on one another. The Iranian people love Turks very much and are very hospitable, just like in our country.
“THOSE WHO DO NOT COME TO TÜRKİYE REGRET IT”
Operators attribute the low sales of other destinations to consumers waiting for sales in Turkey. Iranians, who went on holiday to other countries last year because they could not come to Turkey, mention that no country serves as an alternative to Turkey. Iranian tourists are not very selective regarding alternative facilities, and interest is shifting from city center hotels toward resorts. It was stated that a vast number of tourists prefer Antalya and that passengers arriving in Antalya utilize Alanya as an alternative. I believe that if 12-month scheduled direct flights can be established to Gazipaşa Alanya Airport, this potential will be spread throughout the entire year.
“FLIGHT PERMISSION IS BEING DELAYED”
Amitis General Manager Ali Shafibeik stated that they have planned two aircraft for Nevruz to Gazipaşa Alanya Airport and have requested one aircraft for the Gazipaşa operation throughout the entire summer, but they have not yet received flight permits. Shafibeik also said that they generally expect Nevruz Bayramı to be low, that the perception of and demand for Türkiye has risen excessively, and that the issue of crucial flight permits will determine the season.