Aykut Kaya, a Member of Parliament for the Republican People's Party representing Antalya, visited the management of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD).
The visit, attended by CHP District Chairman Bülent Kandemir and other party members, was hosted by Kaila City Hotel. During the visit, where Alanya's issues were discussed, ALTİD Chairman Burhan Sili began by addressing the long-standing issue of the Aytemiz filling station, and expressed his gratitude to Aykut Kaya, who brought this matter to the council.
Sili, speaking on behalf of tourism professionals in Alanya, expressed the problems and demands, stating the need for support loans for the renovation of facilities in the region. Sili, noting that Alanya has been intertwined with tourism since the 1950s, said, "Our facilities are aging, and we need to carry out renovation work. In this regard, we have a demand for low-interest and long-term loans. The number of beds in Turkey has increased very rapidly. The possibility for our facilities to compete with the larger ones within the all-inclusive system has decreased significantly under the current economic conditions. Therefore, we need to develop our facilities within the framework of competition."
Addressing the issue of employing qualified personnel, one of the biggest problems in the tourism sector, Sili emphasized that during periods when the tourism season is less active, the employer and Social Security Institution (SGK) contributions should be reduced to zero to prevent a decrease in employment and the loss of qualified personnel. Kaya, emphasizing the importance of continuity in tourism, stated, "I submitted a proposal regarding this issue. I will raise this issue again in parliament in the coming days. We agree, and we support this. I also mentioned this to the Minister of Labor in the Planning and Budget Committee. I am following this issue. As you said, we are losing qualified personnel in the tourism sector. Personnel are leaving the sector. These people need to be supported during the winter season and kept within the sector."
Kaya emphasized the urgent need to complete the Antalya-Alanya highway and also mentioned the need to expand the project. Kaya stated that the current project extends from Serik to Konaklı, and that this would not solve the traffic problems in Alanya. "There are two issues here: an alternative tourist road and a railway system. We should have resolved the highway issue long ago and had a railway system connecting Antalya Airport to Gazipaşa Airport. I discussed this issue with the Minister of Transportation, but I did not reach a conclusion."
Finally, Kaya, speaking about increasing the capacity of Gazipaşa Airport, said, "When I was elected as a Member of Parliament, I submitted a parliamentary question asking, 'Will the airport be expanded, and will the traffic routes be improved?' The entrance to the airport is like the entrance to a bus terminal. Expanding the airport is of vital importance for Alanya and Gazipaşa. A solution must be found."