Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Deputy Chairman of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation, expressed his disappointment with Turkish tour operators who did not participate in the MITT Moscow Tourism Fair: "Pegas, Coral, and Anex unfortunately did not participate in this important fair, disregarding the Russian market, and this has drawn criticism from Russian travel agencies."
The MITT Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition, one of the world's most important tourism fairs, has begun. At the fair, Alanya is being represented by the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) with a special Alanya stand located in the same hall as the Turkish stand. The MITT Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition, which is opening its doors to visitors for the 29th time, is experiencing a high volume of visitors at the Alanya stand on its second day. Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD) and ALTAV, who is monitoring the pulse of the fair, provided the following information regarding his meetings:
ALTAV participated with a special booth. Our tourism colleagues from Alanya are also conducting their meetings at our booth. We are conducting contacts on behalf of Adem Murat Yücel, the Mayor of Alanya and also the President of ALTAV. Many tourism professionals are visiting our booth at the fair. We also hosted Fahrettin Çiçek, General Manager of Peninsula Tour, and Çağın Güleç, Deputy General Manager, at our booth, and we exchanged views on the Russian market. We also carried out our promotional activities under the umbrella of the Ministry of Tourism at the same fair last year. It was during the period when the Russia-Ukraine war began, and participation was very limited. However, this year is the opposite; there is a great deal of activity at the fair. In parallel with this, the Alanya booth is also experiencing a lot of activity. Countries in Europe are not participating in the fair due to the sanctions imposed on Russia. Iran, Azerbaijan, Tunisia, and Asian countries are working hard to gain a share of the Russian market. These countries can be considered as our competitors in the Russian market.
“A STRATEGIC MISTAKE BY TOUR OPERATORS”
The absence of Turkish tour operators from this market at the fair is being viewed by visitors as a strategic mistake. The decision of major Russian tour operators such as Pegas, Coral, and Anex Tour, which bring the most tourists from Russia, not to participate in the fair is very disappointing. They may be taking this market for granted. I do not agree with the reduction of promotional and marketing efforts based on the thought that "Russians will come anyway." In this important international gathering, Russia, which is the most important market for Turkish tourism, has unfortunately been disregarded. This is not an acceptable situation. Local agency representatives we spoke with at the fair also expressed their dissatisfaction, as they were unable to find operators to make agreements with. Furthermore, hotel operators are strongly encouraging tour operators to have booths at the fair. Despite this, the absence of agencies from the most important tourism fair in Russia could harm this market. Of course, there are workshops, local promotions, and social media campaigns, but we believe that even a small presence with booths at the fair is necessary, both for prestige and to support the fair.
Our Turkish hotel operators showed a similar lack of interest. Unfortunately, we only saw a tenth of the participation we expected at ITB Berlin.
'There should be more activities at the TGA stand.'
As ALTAV, on behalf of Alanya and the Türkiye Turizm Tanıtım ve Geliştirme Ajansı (TGA), we continue social media and web-based promotional activities in Russia for Turkey. However, fairs are also very important. Being present here is important both in terms of prestige and the warmth of face-to-face agreements. I also find the events held at the TGA's stand for Turkey to be inadequate. Other country stands have many shows and events. Even if there are no entertainment services, at least Turkish flavors should be offered to potential guests. It is necessary to review the stand activities in this regard.
‘WE MUST TAKE RUSSIA SERIOUSLY.’
In the event that the war with Ukraine ends, we are certain that at least 7 million tourists will come from Russia. Relations between Russia and Turkey are also progressing well. In addition to our promotional activities, we must also support the fairs they organize. We are well aware of how much our country's tourism was affected when Russians were unable to visit due to political reasons in 2015. In summary, we must take the Russian market seriously and avoid complacency, thinking "They will come anyway."
"The ALANYA stand was our pride and joy at the fair."
A representative from a local agency in Moscow visited the Alanya stand and presented a t-shirt. We, in turn, gave them souvenirs from Alanya. We exchanged ideas on the promotion of Alanya and shared our knowledge. Among our visitors was Mehmet Samsar, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Moscow. He showed great interest in the Alanya stand and congratulated us on our work.
'NO OBSTACLES IN RUSSIA FLIGHTS'
The news we saw in the press yesterday, stating that Turkey will not provide fuel and aircraft maintenance services to Russian aircraft due to pressure from the United States, was upsetting. However, the press service of the Russian Ministry of Transport issued a statement saying, "Flights of Russian airlines to the Republic of Turkey are continuing as usual. The Russian Ministry of Transport is in consultations with the Turkish side regarding the provision of fuel to Russian aircraft. There are no problems with ground services for Russian airlines at Turkish airports." Meanwhile, tour operators have reported that they have not yet finalized their aircraft agreements. These agreements will be shaped according to the developments. We hope that any potential negative issues will be resolved, and that we will enter the 2023 summer season with encouraging developments.
