Elvan Güneş, Member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and Secretary General of the Alanya Tourist Operators Association (ALTİD), promoted Alanya at the 24th 50+ Jaarbeurs Fair held in the city of Utrecht, Netherlands. Gauging the pulse of the Dutch market, which has a population of approximately 17 million, regarding senior tourism, Güneş stated the following:
“SPAIN VALUES THE POTENTIAL OF THE AGING DUTCH”
We participated for the first time as ALTAV under the Ministry's umbrella. This fair, in which the Ministry of Tourism has taken part for the 6th time, holds the distinction of being the first of its kind in the world. From Turkey, only Alanya was present as a region. In 2015, 96,881 people visited the fair, which lasted for 5 days. Aside from the Ministry, the regions of Girona, Andalucia, and Castellon from Spain consider this fair very important and participated with separate stands.
“THE DECLINE IN THE DUTCH MARKET WAS SIGNIFICANT”
I have received information that the number of holidaymakers coming to Türkiye from the Netherlands experienced a decrease of up to minus 39 percent in July compared to last year. Due to the mild weather in Türkiye after August and the extreme price cuts on package tours, the decrease has receded to minus 15 percent compared to last year.
“THE BIGGEST CONCERN: SECURITY”
As Alanya, we are a region preferred by the 50+ age group due to having 300 days of sunshine. We had a very intense first day at the fair. In the meetings we held, they state, as we all know, that they very much want to vacation in Türkiye but do not dare to do so due to security concerns. I believe that by re-establishing trust and stability in our country, we will reach our 2023 targets through our service quality, the fact that tourism has become a state policy, and our regional riches.
“ALANYA IS ACTIVE IN PROMOTION”
We presented an example of Yalos art, made from tree branches shaped by nature and sent by our Mayor, Mr. Adem Murat Yücel, to our Ministry of Culture and Tourism Counselor, Ms. Neşe Kıvılcım. She stated that Alanya is much more active compared to other destinations and expressed her satisfaction regarding our participation in the fair. They allocated two stands to Alanya. The high level of interest in the fair and in Alanya provided us with great morale. Our promotions will continue in approximately 25 international fairs during the upcoming fair season.