Şükrü Cimrin, who is a member of the Board of Directors of the Alanya Tourism Promotion Foundation (ALTAV) and the Vice President of the Alanya Tourism Operators Association (ALTİD), and who was invited by the Ural Tourism Association, participated in various fairs and events in Russia.
Following Şükrü Cimrin, who represented Turkey and Alanya at the three most important tourism fairs in Moscow: Intourist Market, MITT, and Best Russia, he also represented the country and the city at a press conference organized by the Ural Tourism Association in the city of Yekaterinburg. The press conference, organized on March 27, 2024, by the Russian Tourism Industry Association and the Ural Tourism Association, took place at the Ural press center of the Russian News Agency Interfax in Yekaterinburg. Other participants in the meeting were Yuri Barzykin, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Travel Industry Association, and Mikhail Maltsev, Chairman of the Ural Tourism Association. The high level of interest in the meeting was largely due to the fact that the Russian Travel Industry Association is the highest tourism organization in Russia, and the Ural Tourism Association is the representative of this association in the Ural region.
A Cooperation Agreement Was Signed Between ALTİD and URAL Tourism Association.
The meeting, broadcast live from the Interfax studio, was watched online by 200 different media groups. By the evening of the same day, this number had increased to 5,000. During the live broadcast, Şükrü Cimrin and Mikhail Maltsev signed a cooperation agreement between the Ural Tourism Association, the Ural branch of the Russian Tourism Industry Union, and ALTİD. Participants in the press conference also shared their forecasts for the upcoming season. Yuri Barzykin stated that he expects average holiday prices to increase by approximately 10-15%. Barzykin said that this applies to both trips abroad and travel within Russia. Barzykin said, "Regarding outbound tourism, last year the total flow reached 70% of the pre-COVID period. I don't think we will reach the pre-COVID period this year, but we will get close."
A REPORT ON THE STATE OF TOURISM IN TURKEY WAS PRESENTED.
Şükrü Cimrin, at a press conference, explained Turkey's position in global tourism and the importance of Russia for Turkish tourism, providing detailed information and figures. During the conference, Cimrin also presented a detailed report on the work carried out by TGA, and the preparations being made for the 2024 season to ensure that Russian guests receive the best possible experience, both within and outside of facilities, and across various destinations. Şükrü Cimrin also stated that Turkish hoteliers will be more careful regarding facility pricing in the 2024 season, as Russian guests are extremely sensitive to these prices, and that facilities do not want to lose Russian guests.
Preparations to Begin for Direct Flights Between YEKATERINBURG and ALANYA
Victoria Zamyatina, the President of the Ural Tourism Association in Alanya and a member of the Board of Directors of the Ekaterinburg Ural Tourism Association, stated, "We are considering the possibility of launching direct flights from Yekaterinburg to Alanya. We previously had a positive experience in organizing flights from Tyumen to Alanya. In addition, the Moscow-Alanya flight is currently operating. We believe that the participation of Şükrü Cimrin, a member of the Board of Directors of TGA and ALTAV, and the Vice President of ALTİD, in the negotiations will significantly accelerate the achievement of results. We are pleased that he has accepted our invitation to visit Yekaterinburg before the new tourism season."
Mikhail Maltsev, the President of the Ural Tourism Association (UAT), spoke about the flights to Alanya and those planned for the future. "Last year, we had significant flights from Ekaterinburg to Antalya and Istanbul. My Turkish colleague, Şükrü Cimrin, came to Ekaterinburg to discuss the possibility of opening direct flights to other destinations in Turkey, including flights from Ekaterinburg to Alanya." He also stated that before the coronavirus pandemic, the share of air travel from Ekaterinburg to Turkey during the spring-summer season ranged from 32% to 35%. It is expected that seven airlines will operate flights to Turkey in 2024. This demonstrates the importance of this route for residents of the Ural region of Russia.
A presentation on Turkey and Alanya was given at the LETO-2024 conference.
On March 29th, Şükrü Cimrin delivered a presentation at the LETO-2024 Tourism Conference held in Yekaterinburg. He represented Turkey and, through a video prepared by ALTAV, showcased Alanya, answering questions from professional participants. In his presentation, Cimrin informed the attendees about the current state of Turkish tourism, the efforts being made to promote sustainability and extend the tourism season throughout the year, and the preparations being made by Antalya and its surrounding areas to accommodate more visitors. The conference's health tourism and SPA section also featured discussions about the new directions of health facilities in Turkey, Hungary, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
The next stage of the negotiations is planned for May 17-18, 2024, at the tourism fair "LETO-2024," which is held annually in Yekaterinburg. The fair, organized for over 30 years, is considered the largest in the region's tourism sector.
"We Introduced Our Country and Region to Tourism Professionals."
Regarding the meetings held in Moscow and Yekaterinburg, Şükrü Cimrin made the following statement: "Upon invitation from Victoria Zamyatina, Chair of the Ural Tourism Association, and Mikhail Maltsev, Chair of the Yekaterinburg Ural Tourism Association, we attended three separate tourism organizations in Russia: Intourmarket, MITT, and Best Russia in Moscow, and held various discussions. Subsequently, in the city of Yekaterinburg, we participated in a one-hour press conference broadcast live from the Interfax studio, attended by hundreds of media outlets, along with Yuri Barzykin, Deputy Head of the Russian Tourism Industry, the highest tourism authority in Russia. This conference, in particular, presented us with significant opportunities in terms of both participants and the audience reached. I would like to thank Mikhail Maltsev, Chair of the Ural Tourism Association, for providing us with this opportunity. We conveyed Turkey's tourism vision and the importance of Russia for Turkish tourism in the best possible way during this conference, and informed the participants. Two days later, at the LETO-2024 conference, we presented Turkey and Alanya to tourism professionals in a 20-minute presentation, and shared the latest information and developments about our region. We signed a cooperation protocol between the Ural Tourism Association and ALTİD, which I believe will lead to important collaborations in the future."
"We will implement great projects through this partnership agreement."
“One of the important topics discussed in Yekaterinburg was what needs to be done to initiate direct flights between Yekaterinburg and Alanya-Gazipaşa Airport (GZP). This issue was on the agenda and appeared in many media outlets. Following the cooperation protocol signed between the Ural Tourism Association and ALTİD, this will be one of the key topics. Our goal is to start direct flights from the Ural region to Alanya, following Istanbul and Antalya. Our cooperation will be shaped in the coming days with different and new topics, such as personnel recruitment and mutual regional promotion. During this trip, we also had the opportunity to listen to presentations from dozens of businesses and organizations offering various tourism products from different regions of Russia. I can say that we now have a much better understanding of this market and its dynamics, and our awareness has increased. We would also like to express our gratitude to the Russia State Vocational and Pedagogical University for providing volunteer translators during our trip.”
