The SABAH Gazetesi Tourism Platform was held at the Antalya Mimar Sinan Cultural Center. Sector representatives, hotel operators, tour operators, and tourism players showed intense interest in the platform, where 'opportunities and financing strategies in Turkish tourism' were discussed. The event began with the opening speech of Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Hüseyin Yayman.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WILL INCREASE
Yayman stated, "The tourism sector is not the business of the ministry, the hotelier, or the tour operator. The country develops with the income obtained from here, therefore this sector belongs to all of us." Noting that the tourism sector has written a success story over the last 30 years, Yayman emphasized that the 4.0 era has now begun in the sector. Sharing the keys to the sector's new era, Yayman explained: "The tourism movement in Turkey, which we can characterize as 1.0, began in 1985 with the incentives and support provided to the sector by Turgut Özal. The 2.0 era entered the scene in the 1990s with tour operators. During that period, the launch of charter flights and the implementation of mass tourism provided the sector with significant momentum. The 3.0 era began in 2002 with the AK Parti. A tourist count of around 40 million was reached. We have now entered a new era. We will spread tourism throughout all of Turkey. We will be more effective in global promotion and will use digital channels more powerfully."
'QUANTITY IS DONE, LET'S MOVE ON TO QUALITY'
Threats and opportunities in the sector were discussed at the event where the "Turkish Tourism Version 2.0" panel was held. Dr. Şeref Oğuz, a writer for Sabah Gazetesi who moderated the panel, emphasized that the issue of quantity in the sector has been resolved and it is now necessary to transition to quality. Mete Vardar, Chairman of the Board of Jolly Tur, also stated that development in the sector could be achieved by strengthening the domestic market. Speaking at the panel, angel investor Ali Rıza Babaoğlan emphasized that action must be taken in the direction of where global tourism is heading. Sinan Özedincik, Editor-in-Chief of Günaydın Gazetesi, also emphasized that Türkiye should benefit from the tourism potential in India.
DOMESTIC TOURIST TO REACH 30 MILLION IN 2023
Mete Vardar stated, "If the supports provided to operators who bring tourists from abroad are also provided to us, if it is explained to the consumer that vacationing is a necessity rather than a luxury, and if loans and campaigns are organized for this purpose, the number of domestic tourists will easily rise to 30 million by 2023." Burhan Sili, President of the Alanya Tourism Association (ALTİD) and Board Member of the Turkish Hotel Association (TÜROFED), also spoke, saying, "Every country in the world prioritizes its domestic market. The domestic market constitutes the main element. We have been conducting serious work for the last 3 years for the development of the domestic market."
54 INCENTIVE CERTIFICATES OBTAINED
During the meeting, the second session titled "Investment Strategies in Turkish Tourism and Problems and Solutions in the Sector's Access to Finance" was also moderated by Sabah Gazetesi Writer Prof. Dr. Kerem Alkin. Akdeniz Turistik Otelciler ve İşletmeciler Birliği Vice President Kaan Kaşif Kavaloğlu stated that a temporary period of stagnation is being experienced in tourism, saying, "63 incentives were received in the January-March months. 54 of them are for new hotels. If incentives were received for 54 hotels, how can we talk about a crisis?" Expressing that 25 thousand patients used to arrive from Russia before the flight crisis, tourism professional Emin Çakmak also used the expression, "It is not enough to just complain; something must also be done." Sabah Gazetesi Economy Manager Dr. Şeref Oğuz, stating that Turkey's problem in tourism is a problem of perception rather than a problem of resources, said, "If you have 32 billion dollars, you can build a Las Vegas, but you cannot build a Şanlıurfa." Denizbank Sales Group Manager Ümit Recep Uğur stated that 80 billion dollars in financing has been provided to Turkey to date.