Alanya was promoted at the international tourism fair held in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Alanya was represented at the fair by Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) official Kasımoğlu Kerim Yılmaz. During contacts made at the Holiday and SPA Expo held in Bulgaria, where we hosted 1 million 565 thousand guests in 2014, 1 million 683 thousand in 2015, and 1 million 559 thousand in 2016, Yılmaz noted the following:
“NEIGHBORING GREECE IS NOT BEING PREFERRED”
Due to being our neighbors and our historical relations, Bulgarians know Turks and Turkey very well. They most prefer 3-4 star hotels and apartment rental methods. Along with economic indicators signaling development in recent years, accommodation trends are also changing. 5-star hotels are being included in their areas of preference. Since Greece is a more expensive tourism country compared to Turkey, it does not receive more demand from Bulgarians, even if at the border.
“CHARTER FLIGHTS AFFECTED ANTALYA AND MUĞLA”
In past years, Ephesus and Kuşadası were the regions receiving the highest demand due to visits to the House of the Virgin Mary, which is considered a pilgrimage site for Christians. However, with the start of charter flights in recent years, the holiday range for Bulgarians has expanded to include Antalya, İzmir, Muğla, and İstanbul. In particular, Istanbul tours made by road during the weekend are seeing great demand as they are also economical.
“PRESS GROUP WILL ARRIVE IN APRIL-MAY”
Security concerns are also emerging here. The Ministry's promotion of the Antalya destination is at an adequate level. There are direct sales from Bulgaria to Alanya hotels. The Ministry of Tourism Promotion Counselor Cemal Tekkanat Bey values Alanya. We presented him with an example of Alanya's 'Yalos' art as a gift. We have agreed on hosting a press group in Alanya for the months of April and May.
“THERE ARE ROUND-TRIP FLIGHTS FROM ISTANBUL”
In 2015, the number of people traveling from Turkey to Bulgaria was recorded as 1 million 238 thousand, primarily by road. There are flights to Istanbul from Varna, a major holiday region of Bulgaria, and from Sofia. Companies working for and directing the market to the Turkey destination include Apollo, Orient 99, Tez Tur, Aqua Tur, Emerald Tour, and Astral Holidays.
“MUSIC VIDEO FILMED IN ALANYA IS BREAKING VIEWING RECORDS”
The Ambassador of Bulgaria, Mr. Süleyman Gökçe, takes a special interest in Alanya. We see his support in every matter. As a result of our contacts, the pop music video “V Moya Um” by famous Bulgarian artists Anelia and Danny Levan, which was filmed in Alanya, is being broadcast every day on Bulgarian music TV channels. It has received 1 million 131 thousand views on the social media site YouTube alone. I discussed with the Ministry of Tourism Promotion Counselor Mr. Cemal Tekkanat that these types of studies provide great benefits in terms of promotion and that we need to bring new projects to life.