As of the end of the year, we have reached 700,000 tourists in the Polish market, which has moved us up to second place.
The tourism fair "TT Warsaw," held in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, which is the 5th country bringing the most tourists to the Mediterranean Region, opened its doors for the 26th time. At the fair, Alanya is being represented by Mehmet Dahaoğlu, Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV), and Anna Bielecka, a member of the Board of Directors. Dahaoğlu, sharing his observations and experiences from the meetings he held, stated the following:
"There are 16 participants representing Türkiye at the event."
Volkan Akgül, the Tourism Attaché at the Ministry, stated that we have entered a period of significant growth following the crisis years. He noted that the stand of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey, which covers an area of 312 square meters, hosted 16 participants from our country, and that this level of participation, parallel to the developments, is gratifying.
'700,000 Tourists from Poland in 2018'
According to the data I have, the number of people traveling abroad from Poland, a country with a population of 38 million, was 6 million in 2017, and it is projected to be 8 million in 2018. In my discussions with tour operators, the number of visitors we received was 500,000 in 2015 and 205,000 in 2016, but it has started to increase again, reaching 296,000 in 2017. The projected number of visitors by the end of 2018 is 700,000.
“TURKEY RISES TO SECOND PLACE”
In 2017, among the countries sending the most tourists to Greece, Bulgaria ranked second, followed by Spain in third place, while Turkey ranked fourth. In 2018, Turkey approached Greece and rose to second place. Egypt ranked third, and Spain ranked fourth.
Direct flights to KAYSERİ AIRPORT will begin.
I received information that winter operations to Antalya, which began with TUI in 2017, will also include Coral starting in 2018, and that İtaka will also be operating flights to Kayseri Airport this winter.
'CORAL TRAVEL REMAINED LOYAL TO TURKEY.'
In an interview with Kaan Ergün, General Manager of Coral Travel, the largest Turkish tour operator in the region and the one that brings the most tourists to Turkey, he stated that during the crisis years of 2015-2016, as Oti Group, they made the decision to take on all risks and avoid reducing their operations. While many other tour operators shifted their holiday destinations to regions outside of Turkey, they insisted on promoting Turkey, and as a result of this, they have achieved these numbers today. He mentioned that in 2018, they brought 145,000 people to the Mediterranean region and 190,000 people to the Aegean region. He also stated that during the winter, they will continue to operate four weekly flights to Antalya from Katowice, Poznan, Warsaw, and Gdansk.
"Additional trips will be arranged if there is demand for accommodation."
Ergün stated that 2019 would be a challenging year for Turkey, noting that prices had increased compared to the previous year and that early booking discounts had been reduced. He also mentioned that their competitors in markets such as Greece, Spain, and Bulgaria had not experienced significant price increases. Regarding Turkey, Ergün said that they would maintain the same capacity in 2019 and aimed for a total of 51 flights per week, including 33 flights to Antalya Airport, 5 flights to Gazipaşa-Alanya Airport, 11 flights to Milas-Bodrum Airport, and 2 flights to Dalaman Airport. He added that they could add additional flights if demand required.
"Affordable prices are becoming a key factor in choosing a destination."
Officials from TUI and İtaka Tour, representing other key players in the market, stated that sales in 2019 were very good and that Turkey is returning to its golden age. Other travel agent representatives noted that Polish tourists are choosing Turkey due to its modern hotels with "All-Inclusive" standards, including water parks, and its affordable prices. Furthermore, Ambassador Tunç Üğdül, who visited the Alanya stand, held discussions about the Polish market and the expectations of Polish tourists. Through a social media campaign at the Alanya stand, we will be gifting a vacation in Alanya to a Polish couple who share content about Alanya.
