AKBANK, in collaboration with the Turkish Hoteliers Federation (TÜROFED) and the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), held a panel titled "The Future of Tourism" at the Haydarpaşa Hotel, focusing on economics, the environment, and digitalization. The panel, moderated by journalist and writer Fatih Türkmenoğlu, featured speeches from Akbank Deputy General Manager Bülent Oğuz, TOBB Sectoral and Entrepreneurship Department Head Ozan Acar, TÜROFED Chairman Osman Ayık, Gulet Turistik and Magic Life Founder Cem Kınay, and Atılım University Department of Tourism and Hotel Management Head Prof. Dr. İbrahim Birkan. ALTİD Chairman and TÜROFED Board Member Burhan Sili delivered the opening speech. "THE SECTOR WILL GROW MORE PLANNED," said ALTİD Chairman Sili, stating that the panel would shed light on the future of the sector. "I believe that this sector, which contributes significantly to the Turkish economy, will be in a better position in every sense, will continue to grow in a more planned manner, and will provide great benefits to the country's development." He added, "The tourism sector is the heart of the country's economy, as it generates exports locally." "WE WILL REACH THE 40 MILLION TOURIST FIGURE OF 2014," said TÜROFED Chairman Ayık, emphasizing that 2014 was the best year for tourism in the country. "2014 was the best year in terms of revenue, overnight stays, and the number of people. 2018 is promising. This sector has a volume of 80-100 billion dollars in public and private investments. In 2014, Turkey earned approximately 35-36 billion dollars from tourism. With a simple calculation, we can recover our total investment every 2.5 years. We experienced losses in the last two years, but revenues have started to return to the 30 billion dollar range. I believe we will reach the 40 million tourist figure of 2014 again this year." "OUR CONTRIBUTION TO GDP CAN REACH 10 PERCENT," said Ayık. "The number of direct and indirect employment in the tourism sector is around 2 million. While our share in Gross National Income (GNI) is around 6.5, it can reach up to 10 in good years. When we look at the export sector, one of our most promising areas, it is one of the sectors with the highest added value. Approximately 96 of every 100 dollars earned by our country remains in the country, because the tourism sector is a labor-intensive sector. The tourism sector has the potential to close 40 percent of Turkey's current account deficit." "WE HAVE FALLEN BEHIND IN DIGITALIZATION," said Gulet Turistik and Magic Life Founder Kınay, emphasizing the importance of the digital age for the new generation. "Social media plays an important role in the marketing of tourist facilities. However, our tourist facilities are moving very slowly in terms of digitalization. Only 20 percent of our facilities are able to use social media effectively." "WATER LEVELS ARE RISING IN THE MEDITERRANEAN," said Atılım University Department of Tourism and Hotel Management Head Prof. Dr. Birkan, stating that sustainability is very important and that global warming cannot be ignored, and that water levels are rising in the Mediterranean. He also stated that the importance of tourism is increasing every year in the world and in our country. AKBANK IS EXPANDING ITS TARGETS IN TOURISM. TOBB Sectoral and Entrepreneurship Department Head Acar said that they are working hard to increase Turkey's share of the global market in the export sector. Finally, Akbank Deputy General Manager Oğuz said that they have always been with the tourism sector and aim to increase their cooperation with the sector in the future, as they have done so far.