ITB Berlin, one of the world's largest tourism fairs, is being held from March 4-6 at Messe Berlin. The fair, which hosts thousands of tourism professionals every year and is one of the most important meeting points for the global travel industry, opened its doors this year with a high number of visitors.
Burhan Sili, Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), made the following remarks regarding the fair: "This year, I attended the ITB Berlin Fair to represent Alanya, along with Alanya Municipal Council and ALTAV Chairman Osman Tarık Özçelik, Alanya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ALTSO) Chairman Eray Erdem, Alanya Municipal Advisor and ALTAV Vice Chairman Abdurrahman Açıkalın, and myself representing the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD). Our 90-square-meter stand, specially designed for Alanya, attracted great interest from participants. Throughout the fair, we held meetings with representatives of tour operators, taking steps to expand and develop our source markets. We are receiving extremely positive feedback by sharing the current and planned activities being undertaken on behalf of Alanya."
Based on the feedback we received throughout the fair, I anticipate that this season will proceed smoothly in terms of numbers. However, especially for the German market, there is a tendency for reservations to be made at the last minute. During our discussions, we received assessments indicating that increasing prices for future seasons would not be a correct approach and that this could lead to a loss of guests. Taking all these assessments into consideration, we will continue our efforts to ensure that the upcoming tourism season is as productive as possible. Unless there is a negative situation in our country or in the world, we expect a good season in terms of occupancy rates. However, our concerns regarding profitability remain, as the pressure on the exchange rate continues.