The Helsinki Culture and Promotion Office participated in the Matka 2012 International Tourism Fair with a highly distinguished and striking stand design that befits our country. The stand, located in a prime area of the fair, was designed to effectively and efficiently utilize the available space, featuring high-quality materials, functionality, and large, high-quality, and functional meeting and storage areas. It prominently featured the "Turkey" logo and incorporated colors consistent with our overall promotional concept. The stand's construction included two truss structures in the shape of cylinders, suspended from the ceiling and displaying images of our country and the "Turkey" logo. These were complemented by a 42-inch screen, two plasma TVs, a stage for a musical performance, and a table and chairs for events hosted by Finnish glass artist Kenan TÜRKMEN. Additionally, there was a golf simulator, boxes for a raffle to be held during the fair, and a stand design that allowed visitors to easily see our stand and reflect the diversity of Turkey's tourism offerings. The participants at our stand included the Turkish Airlines Helsinki Office, the Turkish Hotels and Investors Association (TUROB), the Mediterranean Tourism Hotels and Operators Association (AKTOB), the Alanya Tourism and Promotion Foundation (ALTİD), GATAB representing the Kemer destination, the Marmaris and Surroundings Tourism Area Infrastructure Services Union (MARTAB), the Side Manavgat Tourism Operators Association, Antalya Golf Club, Sirene Belek Hotel, Armar Hotel/Marmaris, Korenium Hotel/Northern Cyprus, STH Tourism/Istanbul, Capris Beach Hotel/Marmaris, Eftallia Hotel/Antalya, Ekstra Travel Travel Agency/Nevşehir, Nes Travel/Istanbul, Betuyap/Belek, İçmeler Municipality/Marmaris, the Alanya Association of Finnish People, Rixos/Istanbul, Batıhan Beach Resort/Kuşadası, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and our own office, totaling 23 participants. In addition, the Turkish-owned tour operators DETUR and NAZAR had their own stands near our office's stand, promoting real estate to Finnish citizens interested in purchasing properties in southern Turkey, particularly in the Alanya region. Many Turkish real estate agents also participated with their own stands. Throughout the four-day fair, the Helsinki Culture and Promotion Office, along with the other participating organizations, distributed a sufficient quantity of various promotional materials, including brochures, catalogs, posters, maps, books, guides, CDs, DVDs, bags, pens, t-shirts, hats, rugs, various souvenirs, stickers, and calendars. To enhance the appeal of our stand and showcase the richness of Turkey's culture, Turkish delight, Turkish coffee, and Turkish wine were offered to visitors at 23 information desks, including our own. The glass artist presented examples of traditional Turkish handicrafts, and a miniature golf course allowed visitors to compete. A raffle was held, and one winner received a one-week free vacation at the Sirene Belek Golf Resort, courtesy of THY.
One ticket was also given. Our office organized a competition to determine the winners of discount vouchers provided by tour operators in Finland and 3 airline tickets provided by THY Helsinki Office, in order to increase interest in our stand. To further increase interest in this raffle, our office placed an advertisement in the İltasanomat newspaper, and a drawing was held at our office on the day after the fair to determine the winners. The results of the discount and free airline ticket raffle were sent to the winners by mail.
Furthermore, on January 20th, Thursday, which was the first day of the fair and dedicated to professionals in the tourism and travel sector and members of the press, a cocktail reception was held at our stand, offering examples of Turkish cuisine to local and foreign tour operators, travel agencies, tourism facilities, and transportation companies participating in the fair, as well as to members of the press. During the cocktail reception and on the third day of the fair, a musical performance was held by the Nefes music group, based in Finland. Also, our Ambassador to Helsinki, Mr. Hüseyin Selah KORUTÜRK, and other officials from the Embassy visited our stand throughout the fair and held meetings with the participating organizations.
In addition, on the third day of the fair, our Ambassador to Helsinki, Mr. Hüseyin Selah KORUTÜRK, and his wife, our Ambassador to Stockholm, Mrs. Zergün KORUTÜRK, visited our stand again.
During the 2012 Matka Tourism and Travel Fair and in the period following it, important and beneficial discussions were held with the General Managers of tour operators operating in Finland, which is the largest market in our office's region and has a wealthy tourist profile, and with the President of the Association of Finnish Travel Agencies (AFTA/SMALL). Turkish wine was offered to them. In the discussions held with the General Managers of the tour operators and the President of the Association of Finnish Travel Agencies (AFTA/SMALL), it was stated that Turkey was not only known for its sea, sand, and sun, but also for its history, culture, and natural beauty, and that it was the most popular country at the Matka 2012 International Tourism Fair. It was also mentioned that the package tour capacity for 2012 had been increased by approximately 10-15% compared to 2011. Therefore, despite the global financial crisis that began in 2008, the increase in the capacity allocated to our country for 2012 by all tour operators is extremely encouraging. This encouraging situation also led the Air Finland company to increase its charter flights to Turkey in 2012.
It has been observed that the tour operator that has increased the package tour capacity to our country the most is the global TUI company, through its official partners in Finland, FINNMATKAT and NAZAR-TUI. Due to the charter problem, which began in 2005 and, despite all the initiatives of our Consulate, Embassy, and Ministry, has not been resolved by the relevant authorities, the package tour capacity to Turkey has decreased by approximately 40% in the last five years. However, the Finnmatkat-TUI company increased its capacity to Turkey in 2010 and 2011 in a way that could be considered unusual for the Scandinavian market, and in 2012, the CEO, Peik Martin, stated that this increase would continue, even if only by 5%. Two main factors have contributed to this remarkable situation. The first is that our Ministry has, in recent years, carried out intensive and effective advertising, joint advertising and PR campaigns, as well as trade fair organizations and cultural events in the Finnish market, to a degree that no other country has been able to achieve. The second is the advantageous position of Turkey and the Turkish Lira compared to the Euro and US Dollar, which are valid and influential in nearby and distant competitor markets. In 2012, the Bodrum destination was introduced to Finnish tourists as a new destination by Detur Tour Operator, the Incekum destination by AirFinland Airline/Tour Operator, and the Turunç destination by Aurinkomatkat Tour Operator.
Furthermore, although Finland's national airline, Finnair, announced in early April 2011 that it would be canceling its flights to Istanbul, Turkish Airlines increased the number of flights to 7 per week in 2009, and from April 2011, it will increase the number of flights to 10 per week, and in early April 2012, it will operate 14 flights. This has caused medium and large travel agencies to include Istanbul tours in their product portfolios. Taking all of these factors into consideration, under normal circumstances, 2012 is expected to be a bright year for the Finnish tourism market, and it is anticipated that this market will reach a record of 200,000 tourists, and our Consulate is working intensively to achieve this goal.
RESULT
Considering the general information provided and the evaluations made regarding the Matka 2012 International Travel and Tourism Fair:
1. Approximately 70,000 visitors and 1,146 professional organizations participated in the Matka Fair in 2012.
2. The participation of industry representatives, local governments, and destination associations and foundations at our consultancy's stand was extremely high.
3. As a consultancy, we implemented an extremely distinguished and striking stand design that effectively and efficiently utilized the total stand area, using high-quality materials, emphasizing functionality, incorporating as many elements with the Türkiye logo as possible, selecting colors that were consistent with our logo and overall promotional concept, and using diverse visuals that made it easy for visitors to notice our stand and reflected the diversity of our country's tourism offerings.
4. Throughout the fair, various activities were carried out to enhance the appeal of our stand and to enrich our existing promotional concept by showcasing examples of our country's rich culture.
5. Throughout the fair, we made efforts to attract the attention of press and media outlets to our country's stand.
as indicated, interviews were conducted with Finland's largest television channels and leading newspapers.
6. Throughout the fair, our embassy and participants distributed a sufficient amount of various types of promotional materials.
7. There was significant interest in Istanbul at the fair. This interest was influenced not only by the Istanbul Shopping Festival but also by the discount campaign launched by Turkish Airlines. This is why Air Finland initiated charter flights to Turkey once a week, which increased to three flights per week in 2012.
8. During the fair, discussions were held with tour operators and other travel professionals who are important players in the Finnish tourism market. These discussions revealed that the advertising campaigns conducted in our country in recent years throughout Finland have been very effective in terms of timing and the methods and tools used. As a result of the efforts undertaken by our embassy, the Finnish tourism market, which closed 2008 with a growth of 21.93% compared to the previous year, according to the data of our Ministry, achieved a higher growth rate of 32.66% in 2009. In 2010, it grew by 4.92% with 143,204 people, and at the end of 2011, it reached 30.28% growth with 186,562 people, representing the highest number of tourists traveling from Finland to our country since 1992.
9. It is gratifying to observe that the major tour operators organizing tours from Finland to our country have mostly increased their tour capacity for 2012. Despite the global financial crisis that began in the middle of 2008, the fact that all operators have increased the capacity for our country for 2011 is extremely promising. In this regard, the operator that has increased the package tour capacity to our country the most is FINNMATKAT, the official partner of the global TUI company in Finland, and DETUR, a tour operator of Turkish origin. Two main factors have contributed to this. The first is that our Ministry has carried out intensive and effective promotional campaigns in the Finnish market, unlike any other country. The second is the advantageous position of the Turkish Lira compared to the Euro and US Dollar, which are valid and influential in competing markets. Under normal circumstances, 2012 is expected to be a bright year for the Finnish tourism market, and it is hoped that this market will reach the 200,000 tourist mark, which has never been achieved before, and our embassy will make intensive efforts in this direction.
Finland Culture and Promotion Attaché
Ahmet Kaplan