Alanya's tourism potential was showcased at the 45th ITTFA Belgrade Tourism Fair, held this year in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Elvan Güneş, a member of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) Board of Directors, represented Alanya at the ITTFA Belgrade Tourism Fair, which took place from February 22-25. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, this year's event featured 11 participants, including 5 regions, 3 hotels, 1 entertainment company, 1 travel agency, and Turkish Airlines (THY), covering a total area of 120 square meters to promote the region and the country. The fair, attended by over 900 participants from 40 countries, provided an opportunity to communicate Alanya's tourist appeal to visitors. Elvan Güneş, a member of the ALTAV Board of Directors, who shared her observations about the Belgrade fair and the details of her meetings, stated, "Our Serbia advisor, Mert Demiral, and Doğucan Lale, Deputy Director of the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency (TGA), organized the fair. Our Serbian Ambassador, Hamdi Aksoy, also held high-level meetings at the fair. In 2020, 129,284 people visited our country from Serbia, followed by 238,852 in 2021, 357,787 in 2022, and 311,738 in 2023. Unfortunately, due to the devastating earthquake we experienced in 2023, we experienced losses in reservations. Serbian tourists have shifted their preferences to Egypt and Tunisia, but they have not been very satisfied with the quality of service in those countries. Although our hotel prices have increased, and are higher than those in Egypt and Tunisia, we are experiencing an incredible increase in reservations this year." "DIRECT FLIGHTS SHOULD BEGIN" Güneş stated, "The target for the Serbian market this year is 400,000, but even more is possible," and added, "For this, it is important to start direct charter flights to Antalya. Thanks to high-level efforts, direct scheduled flights have been launched to Ankara and Izmir, but only 'Air Serbia,' the state airline of Serbia, offers charter flights to Antalya. Due to the small size of the aircraft fleet, it is unlikely to meet the increasing demand. Last year, we were ranked first among the countries that sent the most tourists to Serbia, with 201,440 people. In fact, the start of charter flights by Turkish aviation companies to Serbia would also contribute greatly to Serbian tourism. Since Turkish citizens do not require a visa, there is a significant increase in demand from them. I believe that this issue, which is beneficial to both countries, can be resolved through rational means." "RESERVATIONS INCREASED BY 75%" According to the information she obtained from her meetings, Güneş stated that the increase in reservations in the region is around 75%. "Big Blue, the leading agency in the region, has strengthened its position by acquiring the Kontiki Tur operator in recent years. Big Blue, which participated in the fair with a very strong presence and a large area, once again showcased the Turkish spirit with visuals from all regions of Turkey. In a meeting with Enver Babat, a member of the Board of Directors of Big Blue, I learned that the reservations made so far have increased by 75% compared to the same period last year, and there is a significant difference in revenue growth. Enver Bey also told us that they are receiving a lot of demand but cannot increase the number of passengers due to the limited number of aircraft seats. The stands where B2B reservations were made at the fair were crowded, which caused queues to form. The Alanya stand, in particular, attracted great interest as a destination throughout the fair and was actively chosen by visitors." "A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE WILL OCCUR IN THE BALKAN MARKET" Emphasizing that fair periods are an important opportunity, Güneş said, "As ALTAV, we are working to implement projects that will contribute to our region in the best and most efficient way. As a result of the meetings we held during the fair, we also had the opportunity to meet with journalists and television channel representatives. In this context, we will host a team of 4 people from Balkan Trip TV, which is widely watched in the Balkan countries, in Alanya in May to film a tourism program. We have also agreed to host Vukalek Sandray, a social media influencer with 1.2 million followers on TikTok, at the second Influencer Festival we plan to hold in May. Marko Tadic, a social media influencer who was hosted in Alanya at our first Influencer Festival, also visited our stand. He expressed that he had shared the beauty of Alanya with everyone, that he was very happy to have had this wonderful experience, and thanked us for our hospitality. Serbians, who love Turkey and Turks, are very fond of Turkish TV series. In 1930, during the time of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, a Department of Turkology was established. You can find many people who speak Turkish. In addition, in these lands where the Ottoman Empire ruled for 257 years, there are approximately 9,700 words derived from Turkish in the Serbian language, which is the official language of Serbs. Due to our many common points, their perspective on our country is very warm. The population of Serbia is approximately 6.6 million, according to the latest census conducted in 2020. More than 2 million people live in the capital, Belgrade. They are a nation that enjoys eating, drinking, and entertainment. 65% of the country's population goes on vacation every year. This year, we will experience a noticeable increase in this market as the Alanya region. The main reasons why we are preferred include the high quality of service in our hotels and the well-maintained all-inclusive system." "WE HAD A SUCCESSFUL FAIR PERIOD" Expressing that they had a productive fair period as ALTAV, Güneş said, "We welcomed visitors to our stand in the best possible way during the four-day fair and explained the opportunities offered in our region in detail. In addition, in order to maintain communication with those who visited us and increase interaction, we encouraged them to follow our 'alanya_turkey' social media account. We conducted studies that were emulated by other regions and the Ministry during the fair. We have experienced positive developments, and we hope for a beautiful season where our efforts will be rewarded."